Naruto's Awakening
by NaraShikamaru21
Summary: After a 2nd failed attemt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected... *NaruHina*
1. Evening Encounter

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

Oh, boy, my first fan fic. I feel all nervous. Ah, well, no use worrying. Hope you all enjoy!

This story takes place after chapter 310 or so.

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

_**Chapter I – Evening Encounter**_

"_Yaw--n…_" Naruto yawned as he walked down the street.

It was nearly midnight in Konoha Village. The moon was full and it was a little chilly out, the month being October. Naruto was heading home after a day of training with Kakashi and Sakura. He still could not believe Sakura's monstrous strength. He was a little afraid to talk to her, fearing that he might say the wrong thing and end up flying into the nearest tree.

'_If Sakura-chan thought that if she became strong she could keep me in line, she sure had the right idea. I'm afraid to joke with her about even the smallest thing..._' Naruto thought with a shudder. He still hurt from the last time she punched him, which was last week (he was becoming better at behaving around Sakura).

Kakashi-sensei hadn't changed too much. He looked the same and acted the same, and still read those perverted books of his. Why did all of his teachers have to be perverts? During the three years of training with Jiraiya, he disapproved of the Ero-Sennin's perverted activities, and try as he might, Jiraiya still had managed to rub off on him a little. Naruto was a little ashamed, but thought that it would happen to anybody who hung around with the Ero-Sennin too long. At least he, Uzumaki Naruto, had a sense of honor. He never peeped, outside of his pranks, but they were just pranks. He wasn't some pervert.

Naruto turned the corner and begun to ponder about his friends, and how much they had changed. He had already spent enough time with Kakashi and Sakura to think about them much. As he pondered, he realized that he hadn't really caught up with his friends much, if at all. He would have to talk to them at some point. His thoughts wondered to his other comrades.

His mind landed at Shikamaru's team first. He had seen Shikamaru twice, but very briefly. Choji and Ino, he had only seen once, also very briefly. None of them had changed much (except for they're looks, but even then, they still hadn't changed too much); Shikamaru was still lazy (and extremely intelligent), Choji was still large and always stuffing his face (but he understood why, now), and Ino was still self-centered and bossy (and much more attractive). He had yet to see Asuma, but if Kakashi was any hint of things to come, he didn't expect too much.

Next, Naruto's mind wandered to Lee's team. Like Shikamaru's team, they hadn't changed much, but changed so much at the same time. Lee looked almost exactly the same, with the exception of his newly acquired Chunin vest, which he wore in the same style as Gai. Neji had let his hair down, in both senses of the word. His hair was longer and untied, and he had also become a bit less serious and tense, and had lightened up a bit. Tenten... Well, Naruto didn't know her well enough to know of she had changed much. Gai was more or less the same, though.

Then, Naruto remembered Kiba's team. He had to say, they changed more than anybody else, at least as far as appearances were concerned. He had only seen them once since his return, and their encounter had been brief, so, as with Shikamaru's team, he didn't know how much they're abilities improved. Shino was still shady, to say the least. He hadn't said much and didn't show much, if any, emotion. As always. Kiba had changed, too, but not nearly as much as Akamaru. His comrades had changed a lot, yes, but Akamaru took the cake. He had become _huge_ compared to three years ago. Now, Kiba rode on _him_, rather than the other way around, as had been the case before Naruto left.

'_I wonder if all dogs grow that fast..._' Naruto wondered to himself. He would have to consult Kiba on the matter. After wondering a bit about dogs and their growth habits, his mind had wandered back to his comrades. He hadn't seen Kurenai yet, either. She probably hadn't changed much though.

As he continued thinking, he felt as if he had forgotten something...or someone. He then suddenly remembered the shy kunoichi on Kiba's team. Naruto slapped himself. How could he forget about one of his friends? Especially her? She had always been shy around him and always fainted, but she had also always been very kind to him, even though most people hated him and even though he had beaten both her teammate and her cousin. Plus, she had those creepy eyes that all Hyuga's did, like Neji; white and empty. She wasn't exactly easy to forget.

'_She would be hurt if she knew I forgot about her. She had always been so nice. Idiot! How could you forget about her! You didn't forget anyone else!_' Naruto burned himself. '_I let my mind wander, and then I forget about one of my friends. Stupid, stupid me!_'

Naruto continued beating himself up, feeling guilty that he had forgotten about her, until he noticed something that caught his attention. Someone was sitting on the roof of one of the taller buildings, facing the full moon. They were too far away to make out from his position, so Naruto started making his way up the concrete jungle. When he finally arrived at the top of the building, he lost his footing out of shock.

As if fate had been reading his mind, Naruto had found that she was the one sitting up there. He was so shocked that the person he had been thinking about had been the person he found up here that he had stopped paying attention to where his feet had been going, and he tripped as he landed on the rooftop. As he fell, he heard a sharp gasp of surprise that could have only been Hinata.

X-X-X-X-X

Hinata was sitting on the rooftop of a building she didn't know, but had a very good view of the village. It was very tall. She had been sitting there, staring at the moon, thinking her thoughts since sundown. She had had a busy day, and after dinner she decided to go somewhere secluded to reflect and wonder. She had found that this building had a very good view, and decided to rest here.

She had been thinking about several things about her life, such as her training, her missions, her family duties, and the like, but the one thing that she had been thinking about almost constantly of late was Naruto's return.

A couple of weeks ago she had been on her way to a meeting with her team about a mission they had that day. She was turning the corner to the meeting place when she saw the back of someone unfamiliar. She stopped, confused as to who this person could be, but then it hit her. The orange jacket (though now it had black instead of blue and was slightly darker, giving it more of a mature look) and spiky, blonde hair...no, it couldn't be...but...but it is!

'_N-N-Naruto-kun?_' Hinata thought, shocked. She gasped as she ran behind the fence she had just turned around. She stood with her back to the fence as her heart sped up and her breaths came in short gasps. '_It is Naruto-kun! But...but...I mean, I had heard that he had returned, but...I haven't seen him in three years! I'm not ready! What do I do? What do I say?_' She thought frantically to herself. She continued to hide and panic about how she should approach Naruto when the object of her affections poked his head around the corner. His eyes met hers and she froze, all thought gone as her mind went completely blank.

"Hinata! Hey, why are you hidin' behind here? Is something wrong?" Naruto asked in surprise. "Hinata? Umm...Hina--ta!"

"N-Naruto...kun..." Hinata managed to squeeze out before her face turned a dark shade of crimson and her world went blank as she fainted.

She cringed as she remembered how weak she had been. She had promised that she would become stronger for Naruto, and she never went back on her word. That was her nindo - her ninja way! She had trained vigorously for three years, awaiting Naruto's return, so she could show him how much stronger she had become, but the first time she saw him, she had panicked. She had been weak. She hated herself for her weakness.

'_Naruto-kun probably thinks I'm just a weakling. He would never want to waste his time with _me_. I would just get in his way._' Hinata thought to herself, depressed. "He would never like me..." She whispered to herself as tears started to form in her eyes.

'_Hang in there, Hinata!_' Hinata gasped as she heard her Naruto-kun's voice yell in her head. '_Show him, Hinata! Kick that bastard's ass!_' She remembered Naruto's words during her fight with Neji during the Chunin Selection Exams. '_Hinata!_' He had yelled in concern when the young kunoichi had fallen after fight with Neji. '_I promise you... You're goin' down!_' She smiled. '_You know, Hinata...I used to think you were just a dark weirdo, but...a person like you, I could really like!_' He had said before the finals of the Chunin Selection Exam.

The tears began to fall, but not tears of sadness - tears of happiness, as she remembered what Naruto had said that day. It had made her so happy that Naruto had said that he liked a person like her. She smiled and cried as she thought those thoughts. Naruto had done so much for her, even if he didn't know it nor did it purposefully. She owed him so much.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata whispered silently to herself as her mind wandered to the loudmouthed ninja who had stolen her heart.

Hinata was dreaming of Naruto when none other than the blonde shinobi himself jumped onto the rooftop she was sitting on with a mixed look of confusion and surprise. Hinata didn't notice; she was too busy dreaming of the boy himself to notice him arrive, but that didn't last long; Naruto lost his footing and tripped. This snapped Hinata out if her dreams and back into the real world with a start, and when she noticed who had appeared before her, she gasped. Naruto was lying facedown on the other side of the rooftop.

X-X-X-X-X

Naruto fell flat on his face with a _smack!_ Oww... Naruto began to pick himself up when he heard a surprised and worried voice that was, surprisingly, also very gentle and friendly at the same time. He looked up and saw Hinata rushing over with a surprised and worried look on her face.

"N-Naruto-kun! A-Are you o-okay?" She asked nervously. '_She still stutters..._' Naruto thought jokingly. He picked himself up and looked at Hinata with an embarrassed smile.

"Hehe... I'm okay, Hinata. No need to worry!" He said as he put on his trademark smile. Hinata blushed and looked at her feet, twiddling her fingers.

"Umm... O-okay...s-sorry..." She said.

"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault. I should have been paying attention."

"Oh...okay...s-sorry, N-Naruto-kun..." She stuttered, looking embarrassed.

"I just said to stop apologizing!" Naruto scolded jokingly.

"S-s-sor-- I mean...o-okay..."

"Hinata, don't be so hard on yourself. I was only joking."

"Oh...ummm...s-sorry..."

"You did it again!"

"Oh--"

"Anyway... What are you doing up here by yourself at this hour? It's almost midnight! And it's really cold, too! You could catch a cold!" Naruto said, concerned.

"Oh! Ummm..." Hinata was shocked that Naruto was so concerned about her. Her face began to turn an even darker shade of red. "I-I was j-just thinking about...you know...stuff..."

"Hmm..." Naruto said thoughtfully. "Is something wrong? 'Cause if you need to talk about somethin', I'm all ears!" He said encouragingly.

"N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata was touched. "Umm... N-no, n-nothing's wrong. I was j-just thinking t-to myself, that's all..."

"Oh, okay then!" He said cheerfully. "If you say so."

Hinata was a little disappointed at this. Naruto looked satisfied and would probably head home now. She kicked herself for not being smarter. She should have said yes! Then Naruto would have stayed and they could've sat and talked together! Hinata blushed some more (if it was possible) at the thought of sitting under the full moon with Naruto. Naruto, who noticed Hinata float off to her own world, snapped her back to reality.

"So... I was wondering... If you don't mind, I thought that maybe we could, umm, you know...talk for a little while..." Naruto said nervously, hoping that he didn't sound too stupid. He stood there nervously with a sheepish smile, his hand scratching the back of his head.

Hinata was utterly shocked at the statement. Naruto wanted to sit and talk? Just the two of them? Together? Alone? Here, under the moon? It sounded like a dream; too good to be true. Well, if it was a dream, she hoped she wouldn't wake up. She wanted to pinch herself, to check, but she decided against it, seeing as Naruto was looking at her, awaiting her response.

"U-ummm...s-s-sure...o-okay..." She said barely audibly.

Naruto smiled and said, "Great! Let's sit down. I wanted to catch up and see what's been going on while I was gone." He said energetically "You have to tell me everything! And then I'll tell you about all of my awesome adventures! And I bet you've gotten loads stronger!" If Hinata's blush could've gotten any deeper, it did right then.

'_Naruto-kun thinks I've gotten stronger? He thinks I'm strong?_ _N-Naruto-kun thinks I'm strong? He thinks I'm strong!_' Hinata smiled at the thought. "U-umm..."

"Hinata, why is your face all red? And why are you stuttering?" Naruto asked. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Hinata cursed the moonlight and her weakness. "Y-y-yes...N-Naruto-kun..."

"Okay, then." He replied simply. "Anyway, tell me about all that's happened while I was gone! I've got to know! I haven't seen much of you guys since I got back. I want to catch up."

"O-okay...ummm...where to begin..." She said thoughtfully. She found a good place to start and began telling of all the events and such that happened in Konoha during Naruto's absence. He listened silently as the minutes passed by...

* * *

A/N - Hells yeah! First chapter! Woo-hoo! Hot damn! It feels GOOD! HELLA GOOD! Woo... Yeah... So, that's the first chapter of my first fan fic. Hells yeah. _Hells yeah._ HELLS YEAH! Okay... Got that outta my system. But anyway, please, please, PLEASE review! Reviewing is good. Good for the soul. It will reveal the essence of life. It will cleanse you of all sins (unless you totally burn me; then I will cry and you will burn in hell). It will reveal your true love. But even if I get bad reviews, I'll just watch _Naruto_ and I'll fell better. I'll continue writing this story anyway, 'cause it's gonna be badass. BAD. ASS. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	2. Like Always

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

**_Chapter II – Like Always_**

Hinata woke up the next morning in her bed. She had no idea how she got there. The last thing she remembered was listening to one of Naruto's stories and…

'_Oh! That's right… Naruto found me last night, but…we were on a rooftop… It must've just been...a dream…_' Hinata thought sadly as she got up and started getting dressed. Her dream seemed so real that she had a hard time believing it wasn't, but she dismissed those thoughts and sadly went down to breakfast.

It was still very early. Only Neji and a couple servants were the only ones up at this hour along with Hinata. She walked into the dining hall and found Neji eating.

"Good morning, Hinata-sama." Neji said warmly. Ever since Naruto had defeated him during the Chunin Selection Exams, Neji had found a new outlook on life and warmed up to Hinata greatly, trying to make up for his cruelty in the past.

"Neji-ni-san, how many times must I tell you to just call me 'Hinata'?" Hinata asked shyly. She would never get used to being called 'Hinata-sama.'

"I'm sorry… It's just--" Neji was cut off before he could finish.

"Neji… You apologized and I forgave you…so please, forget about it…" Hinata said sincerely.

"I…okay…" He said with a smile. "…Hinata."

Hinata fixed herself some breakfast and sat down across from Neji. As she started eating, Neji asked her an unexpected question.

"So, what happened last night, Hinata?" He asked with a smirk.

Hinata dropped her food and choked on the food in her mouth. "W-w-what?"

"I asked, what happened last night?" He repeated.

Hinata blushed. '_Does that mean last night wasn't a dream?_' She thought happily. "W-what do you m-mean?" She asked nervously.

Neji closed his eyes and smirked. "Last night, you were out a little late. Just before I was about to go search for you, Uzumaki showed up at the front gates with you in his arms, asleep."

"N-Naruto-kun carried m-me home?" She asked nervously, her blush even redder.

"Indeed." Neji replied, smirking again. "He said you two were 'catching up' and you fell asleep during one of his stories. He then proceeded to carry you home before he returned to his home."

Hinata was in a state of ecstasy. '_List night hadn't been a dream! I-I really did sit with Naruto-kun and we talked! For hours! And he carried me home!_' She blushed even more and started twiddling her fingers again. Neji noticed this and had a faint idea of what she was thinking of. He put on his trademark smirk again and got up to leave.

Hinata didn't notice this – she was too busy dreaming of Naruto and their 'date' last night (she was trying to be optimistic) to notice much at all. She finally finished her breakfast and got up to leave as well.

X-X-X-X-X

Naruto woke up early, like always. He was going to train today, like always. He put on his trademark orange jacket ('course, now it was much more badass than his old one) and his most prized possession: his Konoha headband, the sign that marked him as a shinobi, like always. He fixed himself some ramen for breakfast, like always. Afterwards, he set off to a new day, like always.

It had been two weeks since they had begun that mission. It had been another attempt to retrieve Sasuke. They had been so close, too. They had found Orochimaru's hideout and were on the verge of both defeating Orochimaru and finding Sasuke…but those damn Akatsuki bastards had to step in a ruin everything, like always.

Naruto clenched his fists and barred his teeth at the thought of Akatsuki. Because of them, Sasuke left.

Naruto began to shake with anger. Because of them, Gaara had almost died.

Naruto began to breath heavily. Because of them, he always had to watch his back.

Naruto's chakra began to swirl around him. Because of them, all of his precious people were in danger.

At this last thought, Naruto snapped and punched the brick wall next to him. The wall blew into pieces and debris flew everywhere as the cloud of dust disappeared, revealing a hole in the wall much larger than Naruto himself was where his fist was.

Damn Akatsuki.

Damn Orochimaru.

Damn Sasuke.

Damn it. Damn it all!

"DAMN IT!" Naruto yelled without thinking.

Everyone turned to look at him, giving him cold stares. Many were just for him cursing so loudly, but most were also because they knew who he was. What he was.

Naruto looked around. Those eyes. Those cold stares. They showed nothing but hate. Like always. Naruto couldn't take it. He sped off toward the training grounds to meet up with Kakashi and Sakura.

X-X-X-X-X

Hinata walked to the market to get groceries first thing, like always. Afterwards, she would perform any other errands she had to tend to, like always. After she finished, she went to meet Kurenai and the rest of her team, like always. And, like always, she thought of her favorite blonde shinobi along the way.

All Hinata could think about was last night. It was the first time she had spoken with Naruto since he returned. In fact, it was one of the first times she had ever had an extended conversation with him. She blushed a little at the thought.

Hinata also couldn't stop thinking about how much Naruto had grown. He was much taller now, taller than she thought anyone had expected. He had gone from roughly 4'10" to almost 6'7". Hinata was utterly amazed. He had also grown much more handsome. His face was much more masculine than it had been before he left. Before, it had been round and childish, but now Hinata thought it had matured a bit and looked handsome. His hair was a little longer and shaggier, and Hinata thought that made him even cuter. His birthmarks on his cheeks were still there, '_and still cute,_' Hinata thought with a blush and a giggle. Naruto's clothes had also become more mature. His jacket was still orange, but it was a slightly darker shade with black as the secondary color, rather than blue. His headband was also black. Naruto's voice had also become deeper, and Hinata thought that it sounded, for lack of a better term, _sexy_. Hinata blushed a little at the thought. She didn't normally use terms like that, she was a little too shy, but she couldn't find any other way to describe it.

Hinata continued to dream about Naruto. She wished she had had more strength on their first encounter. It had been three years since they last saw each other, and she had fainted. Afterwards, Naruto had left on another mission to retrieve Sasuke. He had been gone for a week, and when he came back, he was badly injured and had to be admitted to the hospital. Hinata frowned a little remembering how badly he had been injured. She had been very worried, like always. She went to visit him in the hospital, but he was asleep while she was there. She hadn't minded too much, she was just happy that Naruto was okay. She had left flowers for him and left.

Hinata sighed. Naruto had overdone it again, and he had been hurt. But she smiled when she knew what Naruto would have said if she had asked him why he had overdone it again. He would have said, simply, "I had to protect my friends, my precious people. Their safety is worth any amount of pain!" And he would've smiled his trademark smile and given a victory sign. Hinata blushed lightly. That was why she liked Naruto. He would do anything to protect his precious people. That's what a Hokage should be like.

Hinata arrived at the training ground to find Shino there already. It was no surprise; Shino was always early. That was just Shino.

"Good morning, Shino-kun," Hinata said.

"Good morning, Hinata," Shino replied monotonously, not looking up from the bugs he was studying. Like always.

Hinata left him be and took a seat underneath the nearest tree. She continued dreaming about Naruto until she heard a loud bark and several whoops. Kiba appeared, riding on the now large Akamaru's back.

"WOO-HOO!" Kiba yelled as they jumped into the air, did several twists and flips, and landed cleanly on the ground. "Good morning, Hinata, Shino."

"Good morning, Kiba-kun," Hinata said with a giggle as she watched Akamaru perform several more tricks.

"Is Kurenai-sensei here yet?" asked Kiba.

"No--" Hinata was cut off.

"I'm here," a woman's voice said from above them. They all looked up to see Kurenai standing in the tree Hinata was leaning against. "Good morning, team. I've got news on our next assignment."

"R-really?" Hinata asked.

"Alright! What is it?" Kiba asked energetically. Shino merely stood up and faced Kurenai.

"Your going to love this," She said with a smirk. "It's an A-class mission."

X-X-X-X-X

Naruto arrived at the training ground a little early, like always. He liked to get in a little extra training, like always. He couldn't give up if he wanted to be Hokage, so he did as much extra training as possible, like always.

He began to train by himself, his Kage Bunshins helping him out, to take his mind off things. He had thought that while he was gone, some things might have changed, that maybe some people would've started to see that he wasn't a demon.

He was wrong. Like always.

They still had those cold looks in their eyes. Like always.

They still hated him. Like always.

No one would ever accept him. Like always.

'_No._' Naruto thought to himself. '_Your friends accept you._'

'_They don't know about the Kyubi,_' He shot back at himself.

'_Kakashi-sensei does. The other Jonin do. Yamato does. Tsunade-obaa-chan and Ero-sennin do. Sakura-chan does. They all accept you._'

'…_yeah…_'

'_The people that matter accept you. The rest of the villagers can go to hell._'

"Yeah…" Naruto said to himself. Feeling slightly better, he took a break and sat down under the nearest tree. He closed his eyes and thought about the previous night.

Hinata had told him all about the goings and comings and whatnot in Konoha while he was away. He had listened silently, soaking it all in, like a good story. But he suddenly became distracted by Hinata's eyes. Her eyes, the eyes of a Hyuga. They were white and blank. Completely empty.

At least, that's what he had thought they had looked like. He must have either been using Neji's eyes as reference or had never looked Hinata in the eye before. He thought it was a little bit of both, but as he looked into her eyes, he saw not silver or white eyes, but saw that Hinata's eyes had a slight lavender tinge to them, and they were far from empty or blank. Her eyes were full of warmth and gentleness. Naruto had lost himself in her gaze, and snapped back to reality when Hinata had blushed and asked him what he had been looking at. He had proceeded to say "Your eyes. I've never noticed before, but you have really beautiful eyes, Hinata." It had come out without him even realizing what he had said. Hinata sat shocked and blushed a deeper crimson than ever before, her hands on here cheeks. Naruto had then realized what he had said and blushed as well.

But as Naruto sat there pondering, he wondered why (and how) he had never noticed before.

* * *

A/N – Woo-hoo! Another chapter done. I feel good. Like I'm on a roll. YEAH! Anyway, PLEASE review. It makes me fell all warm and fuzzy inside. Besides, reviewing is good for the soul. It will reveal the meaning of our existence. It will free you from evil. It will show you the one you've been looking for. You get the idea. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter.

P.S. – This story starts off a little slow, so bear with me. Unless you like fluff, then it will be a little slow 'till we get to the badass fight scenes. Ooooooooo. It's gonna be badass.


	3. An A Class Mission?

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

**_Chapter III – A-Class Mission?_**

"A-an A-class m-mission?" Hinata said, shocked.

"That's right." Kurenai answered simply, her mischievous smirk still in place.

Shino tensed. "What kind of mission is it?" He asked monotonously, but surprise and tension were evident on his usually calm and (almost) constantly emotionless face.

"A very important one." Kurenai said simply. She seemed to be holding back a larger smile. "Gai's team, Asuma's team, our team, and Kakashi and Sakura are all assigned to this mission."

"Why such a large group?" Kiba asked, confused. "And why us?"

"Well--" Kurenai began.

"Umm… W-what about Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked shyly. "Why is he n-not a part of the m-mission?"

"Naruto is--" Kurenai began to reply.

"And why are you so laid back about an A-class mission?" Shino inquired. "Surly an A-class mission is nothing to be taken lightly."

"Hold on!" Kurenai exclaimed. "I'm getting there. Now listen."

"Good." She started. "First, I guess I should tell you, Shino, that just because a mission is an A-class mission doesn't necessarily mean that it is a dangerous or serious mission. Missions are also classified by their importance. And this happens to be a very important mission."

"How so?" Shino asked.

"The Hokage herself made this mission request, stating that it was as just as important as village security. In fact, you could say that this mission indirectly affects the village's security, in a way." She said with a clever smile.

"Hmm…" Kiba thought out loud. "What could this mission possibly be?"

"In a minute, Kiba." Kurenai replied. "Secondly, the reason that we have such a large 'team' is because this mission does not require stealth or speed, and will be carried out inside the village. Also, everyone trusts each other, and trust and secrecy are required for this mission. Plus, we are all friends of Naruto's."

"H-how does N-Naruto-kun fit into all of this?" Hinata asked.

"And how does he not?" Shino added.

Kurenai's smirk turned into a smile. "I was just getting to that."

X-X-X-X-X

The Godaime Hokage smiled to herself as Kakashi and Sakura left her office. '_I have to say,_' she thought to herself. '_I'm a genius, if I do say so myself._' She sat down and thought of the mission she had just assigned to Kakashi's, Asuma's, Gai's, and Kurenai's teams. She had dubbed it an A-class mission, because she thought it was extremely important. And it was, if you looked at it from both a rational and sympathetic point of view. Plus, it was just plain good. There couldn't have been a more righteous reason to make it an A-class mission.

From a sympathetic point of view, this mission was extremely important. Naruto's childhood had definitely not been the happiest one. Growing up in a village that hated him, Naruto probably never had an enjoyable day on that day. Most people enjoyed that day in their lives and looked forward to it, but Naruto wasn't most people. Nobody had ever cared about him (save maybe a _very_ select few…) and nobody probably knew or cared if they did about that day in Naruto's life. This mission was going to change all that. This time, Naruto was going to enjoy that special day. That's what made this mission so important, an A-class mission.

From a rational and logical point of view, this mission was also very important. Indirectly, it affected the village's strength and safety. This mission would affect the morale of the village's shinobi, which would, in turn, affect their efficiency and skill. A happy soldier fights better than a depressed one, after all. All that would, in turn, affect the village's strength and security. Not to mention its happiness. Being Hokage meant keeping the village happy, as well. High moral equals happy and efficient shinobi, which equals greater village strength, safety and unity, which equals a happy village. Sounds like a reasonable argument. And seeing how the affected shinobi in question were some of their best, especially the target of this mission, who was probably the strongest one (not to mention probably her favorite one), there didn't seem like a way to argue with that reason.

'_Damn, I'm good._' Tsunade thought to herself as she smiled. She swelled with pride and happiness, and that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you know you've done something good for someone to make them happy. '_Naruto, you're gonna have the best birthday ever!_'

X-X-X-X-X

"We are going to give Naruto the best birthday he's ever had." Kurenai said to her team.

If Hinata, Kiba and Shino were expecting anything, it definitely was not that. Hinata blushed lightly and gave a small smile after her shock passed. Kiba stood in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. Shino raised his eyebrows and looked almost as if he jumped in surprise, his barely visible mouth trembling only the slightest bit, threatening to change from its constantly emotionless shape.

Kurenai couldn't hold back here wide grin and almost laughed at their utterly shocked reactions. "Not quite what you were expecting?"

Hinata was too busy dreaming about Naruto to answer. Kiba broke the silence. "W-what? This so-called 'A-class mission' is a birthday party for Naruto?"

"…" Shino remained quiet, looking equally as confused as Kiba.

"Yep." Kurenai replied simply, with a smile. "Is there a problem?"

"How does Naruto's birthday qualify as an A-class mission?" Kiba asked in disbelief. "I don't get it! Explain it to me."

"Well, I guess who would have to know a little about Naruto's history to understand…" Kurenai said thoughtfully. "So I suppose I should fill you in."

"That would definitely help." Kiba said, annoyed.

"So, what's the story?" Shino asked, slightly curious.

"Well, you certainly not yourself today, Shino." Kurenai said jokingly. "That's the fifth time this morning you've shown some emotion. How very unlike you."

Shino's mouth twitched the tiniest bit. "It's been a very strange morning." Apparently, he was just as surprised as anyone else that he had shown his feelings physically. Today had certainly been full of surprises, and Shino felt that there were still more to come.

"Hmm…" Kurenai said thoughtfully. "Well, anyway, I guess I should explain the situation and tell you a little about Naruto's past. It isn't exactly a cheerful tale."

Hinata had grown curious. She had watched Naruto since they were both very young, but she really hadn't learned much about him. "W-what happened?" She asked, sounding curious and a little worried.

Kurenai turned to Hinata. '_I can't tell them about the Kyubi, so I'll have to be careful with what I say._' But she was surprised when she looked into Hinata's eyes. They were filled with concern and acceptance. '_I bet she wouldn't care if Naruto had ten demons inside of him. She must really like that boy…_' Kurenai smiled warmly at Hinata, like an older sister would to her younger sister. "Well, where to begin…"

X-X-X-X-X

Naruto woke up from his slumber. He had fallen asleep while waiting for Kakashi and Sakura to arrive. It was nearing noon, Naruto noticed as he looked up at the sky. He could expect Kakashi to be late, he always was, but Sakura was usually here just as early as he was, right on time at the latest. Naruto wondered what could be taking her so long when he heard her yell at him.

"Naruto--!"

"Hmm?" Naruto looked up, startled.

"Sorry we're late" Sakura said with a sheepish grin. "We were in a meeting with Tsunade-sama."

"Wha-?" He had expected Kakashi to apologize and come up with some lame excuse, but Sakura had instead. "So you have a good excuse this time?" Naruto directed at Kakashi.

"I'm hurt, Naruto…" Kakashi said with a fake hurt voice. "I'm not always late."

"One or two times doesn't count for much…" Naruto replied.

"But I always have my reasons for being late. You know I would never keep you guys waiting unless I had a good excuse."

"If your excuses are what you consider 'good' excuses…"

"Stop bickering you two!" Sakura said annoyed. But Inner Sakura agreed with Naruto completely. "**Yeah!**"

"Sorry, Sakura-chan…" Naruto said nervously, sensing her agitation. "So, anyway. Kakashi-sensei, do we have any new missions?" He asked energetically.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Naruto, but we won't be having any missions for a while." Kakashi said.

"Awww…" Naruto whined. "Why not?"

"Use your head, Naruto. Do you think that we will have missions all the time? There are weeks when the village does not accept mission requests, so that we can rest, stock up on supplies, prepare for things, and make time for very special missions." Kakashi explained.

"Very special missions?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Yes. Some missions require many shinobi simultaneously, or very few, or a very long time to complete for missions that require the use of many shinobi. Some missions require the village to be very secluded, like missions that involve top secret information or important items that would be at risk otherwise. And then there are missions that include the whole town. Also, some missions require shinobi to remain in the village, for whatever reasons, and accepting mission requests during missions like those would not be good for neither the village's safety nor the village's reputation. Do you understand now?"

"Umm… I think so…"

"_Sigh…_" Kakashi sighed. "Well, anyway, we are going through one of those periods, so only missions from inside the village will be accepted, and those missions are mostly carried out by the younger Genin, so don't expect any missions for a while. At least, none greater than a C-class mission."

"Aww, damn it!" Naruto complained. But Naruto was Naruto, so he tried looked on the bright side of things. "Well, at least I have more time to train and become stronger!"

'_It amazes me that he can change moods so quickly… Well, that's Naruto for you._' Sakura thought. Then she gave a small grin. '_He can turn anything into an opportunity to become stronger. I wish I knew how he can be so optimistic all the time._' But she admired her teammate's determination. She liked him just the way he was.

"Well, enjoy yourselves!" Kakashi said as he picked up his book and disappeared.

"Alright! Time to train!" Naruto shouted energetically. '_I can practice pulling out and using my own stores of chakra, instead of that stupid fox's._'

"**I heard that.**" Said a monstrous voice in Naruto's head.

'_What do you want?_' Naruto said, annoyed rather than surprised.

"**You need me boy. Your chakra isn't enough. You wouldn't be alive if it weren't for me.**" Kyubi growled.

'_What's wrong, stupid fox? Are you jealous?_'

"**Me? Jealous of you? Don't make me laugh.**"

'_Whatever…_'

"**You disrespectful brat. You should learn your place.**"

'_You've got some nerve, stupid fox. You know that? You're the one living inside of me, free of charge, and you're also speaking like this is entirely my fault, like I asked for this! I never asked Yondaime to seal you inside of me! I never asked for your help! This is all your fault, and you know it!_' Naruto thought angrily.

"**Hmph…**"

"…stupid fox…" Sakura heard Naruto grumble.

"Is something wrong, Naruto?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

"Oh! Uhh… N-no…" Naruto said with a start.

"Is it the Kyubi?" She asked quietly.

"Wha-" Naruto suddenly remembered that Sakura new about the Kyubi. "Oh, yeah… The stupid fox doesn't know when to shut up." He said, annoyed.

"Err…" She said, confused. "Well, anything I can help you with?"

"Hmm…" Naruto thought for a second. "Well, you're really good with chakra control, right?"

"**Hells yeah! I'm the best there is! Cha!**" Inner Sakura exclaimed proudly. Sakura replied, "Yeah. Need some help?"

"Yeah… See, I'm tryin' to use my own chakra instead of the Kyubi's chakra, because Yamato said that my chakra is greater than his," Naruto explained. Sakura was amazed at this statement, and she was even more amazed when she realized that the theory was very plausible. How else could Naruto withstand the Kyubi's chakra? "…but every time I try to summon my chakra, it all kinda all disappears at a certain point. I don't really understand why, but I think it has something to do with my chakra control."

"Well, you're right." Sakura replied. "What's happening is you're summoning too much chakra, and because you lack the control to control it in those quantities, it all dissipates."

"Ohh…" Naruto said thoughtfully.

"Not only is this a very slow and inefficient way to practice control," Sakura continued sternly. "…but it also wastes a lot of chakra very quickly. You'll never get better at controlling your chakra that way."

"So… What should I do?"

"Well, since your control is good enough for some of the more advanced chakra control exercises, such as the water-walking and forming the Rasengan, what you should do is some of the exercises Tsunade-sama had me do to practice chakra control. If you could somehow integrate those exercises with your exercises for forming the Rasengan, I think you would have very good and efficient exercises to increase your chakra control exponentially very quickly. I know those Rasengan exercises require quite a bit of control, so these exercises should work well with those and really improve your control."

"Alright!" Naruto shouted happily, excited that these exercises could be used with exercises he was already familiar with. "So, what do I do?"

"Here…" Sakura said as she reached into her equipment sac. She pulled out a scroll and handed it to Naruto. "The exercises are all in here. You're probably ready to start the more advanced exercises, so start under 'Advanced Techniques and Skills.' Those exercises should be a good place to start."

"Okay. Thanks, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said gratefully, opening the scroll.

"Well, Tsunade-sama asked me to meet her as soon as I was done, so I'm going to leave." Sakura said as she turned around and left.

"Okay. Bye, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said as he waved at her as she walked away.

"Bye, Naruto! And remember, don't get distracted! Concentrate!"

"Gotcha." He said as sat down and began the exercises.

X-X-X-X-X

Hinata was walking to the Hokage office in a depressed silence, looking down at the ground. Kurenai had told her that Tsunade had wanted to see her as soon as possible after the mission briefing. Kurenai said she had no idea why when Hinata had asked her about it. So Hinata was on her way after Kurenai had finished.

Kurenai had explained to them why this mission was so important. Naruto had had a very depressing childhood (and that was putting it mildly), and apparently Tsunade thought that they should do something special for his 17th birthday. Your favorite ninja didn't turn 17 everyday, now. Also, Naruto had probably never had an enjoyable birthday, which made the occasion (Err…mission…) even more important.

Kurenai had told them the tale (Uhh…history…) of Naruto's childhood. Hinata, of course, had watched Naruto since they were about five, so she thought that she wouldn't learn much, but after a while, she realized she'd missed a hell of a lot. Naruto had grown up hated and despised by all of the villagers and his birthdays were the worst days of his life, full of sadness and loneliness. Hinata had listened and it had broken her heart hearing about it.

Hinata understood better than anyone why the Hokage had deemed this such an important 'mission.' Naruto was one of the best ninja in the village, and Hinata knew Naruto was much better when he was happy than when he was depressed. Kurenai had even explained from a logical point of view why this mission was so important. After Shino and Kiba heard that and thought about it a bit, they agreed that it was a reasonable argument. Besides, Naruto was their friend, too. They wanted him to be happy just as much as anybody else.

But Hinata couldn't help but fell guilty. If she had known her Naruto-kun had been so lonely, maybe she would've summed up the courage to befriend him earlier. Naruto could have grown up so much happier if she hadn't been so weak. She hated herself for that.

Kurenai had noticed the young kunoichi's depression and wanted to help. After all, Kurenai viewed Hinata like a younger sister. She had no siblings growing up, so she had become very fond of Hinata and wanted to help her as much as she could.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" She had asked.

Tears started to form in Hinata's eyes. "I-if I h-hadn't been so weak, N-Naruto-kun would've b-been happier…" She said sadly, holding back the tears.

"Hinata… It wasn't your fault. You shouldn't blame yourself for the village's ignorance. It's their fault Naruto grew up so lonely. You've accepted him. You always have, and always will, and I'm sure if Naruto knew that, he'd be very happy."

Hinata smiled as she remembered Kurenai's words to her. Kurenai-sensei had always been there for her. She was like the older sister she never had.

Hinata arrived at the Hokage office and made her way up to Tsunade's office. She knocked and Tsunade bid her to come in. Hinata walked inside and found Tsunade behind her desk and Sakura standing on the other side, both apparently waiting for her.

"Oh, good, you're here. Now I can brief you two on your mission!" She said with a smile.

"W-what?" Hinata asked confused.

"What do you mean, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked, just as confused as Hinata.

"Well, you both have been briefed on the special mission, correct?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes," They both replied.

"Well, one of the most critical tasks of this mission relies on you two. This sub-mission is vital, so you two must do your best, but keep your mission secret from the target."

"T-target?" Hinata asked.

"The target is Naruto." She said. "Your mission is to get close to the target and find out his likes, dislikes, things he wants, stuff like that, so we know what we need to get and what we need to do for his birthday."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Sakura said. "He's not that hard to figure out, and he certainly isn't hard to fool."

"B-b-but…" Hinata said nervously, blushing. "Why m-me? And w-what do you m-mean, 'get c-close?'"

Tsunade grinned evilly. "I chose you two because, number one, Sakura is his teammate, and you seem rather…fond of him." Hinata's blush deepened. "Number two, the other two girls don't know Naruto well enough to get close to him. Besides, two girls are plenty. As for the meaning of your mission," Tsunade's grin widened. "I mean that you will have to get Naruto to trust you, become close friends with you," Tsunade was now on the verge of laughter at the look of Hinata's face, which was almost glowing. "…_very_ close friends."

* * *

A/N – Yay! Another chapter! It's been a good day! I saw _Naruto the Movie 2_, _Mission Impossible 3_, and posted a new chapter! Woo-hoo! I bet that A-class mission wasn't quite what you were expecting, but I thought it would be cute. This chapter was a little slow, being one of those chapters there to string the story together and explain a few things, but nothing really happening. There were some fluffy and humorous moments, plus some knowledge. Knowledge is good. Well, I hope you enjoyed it.


	4. At the Ichiraku

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

**_Chapter IV – At the Ichiraku_**

Naruto flopped down on the grass. It was little after 4 o'clock. He had been practicing the chakra control exercises Sakura had given him and integrating those exercises into his normal training since she had left. He was worn out, to say the least, and hadn't eaten since breakfast. Instant ramen eaten 9 hours ago wasn't enough to keep you going. Naruto needed some food. Right now.

"Uhh…" Naruto grumbled. "Man, I'm beat."

_Growl…_

"…and REALLY hungry…" Naruto lifted himself up with difficulty. "Time for some dinner, I think." And with that, he slowly made his way back into town.

'_Those chakra control exercises are harder than I thought. Sakura-chan said that I should've been able to use them with mine, but I guess I should've asked how…_' Naruto thought numbly. '_The exercise descriptions were really long and complicated. There were a whole bunch of really big words I didn't understand. I'm not too sure the exercises I was doing were actually what they were supposed to be… Aw, man, my head hurts… And so does the rest of me…_'

Naruto continued limping toward the Ichiraku ramen shop. He tried to think of all the delicious ramen he was going to eat, to take his mind off of his pain and exhaustion. When that didn't work, Naruto racked his brain for something else that would take his mind of how his body felt (or how his body didn't feel). His thoughts once again landed on the shy kunoichi he met the previous night. He remembered that as she was telling him about all the stuff that had happened, she seemed to stutter less.

'_I guess all of that talking made her forget whatever was making her stutter,_' Naruto thought, remembering that Hinata seemed a little troubled about something. She had been all red in the face and fidgeted a lot. '_Maybe she wasn't feeling well or somethin'… I dunno… Girls are strange…_'

He tried to remember all the things she had told them, but found that he couldn't remember much. He tried to recall, but all he could remember was Hinata's eyes and her voice.

'_Hinata has a really pretty voice when she speaks loud enough and clearly enough for you to hear her… I bet she's a really good singer…_' Naruto stopped for a moment and blushed lightly, shocked at his own thoughts. '_Whoa! Where did that come from? What am I thinking?_' He had never thought about Hinata like that. But, then again, he never talked or saw her all that much. In fact, now that he thought about it, he hardly knew anything about her. '_I should talk to her more. But she always faints when I try. Maybe I catch her only when she's not feeling well? Wait! Maybe I'm making her sick! Is she allergic to something on me or about me? Maybe she's allergic to foxes? See, you stupid fox? You're making Hinata sick!_'

"**Brat, it's not my fault.**"

'_Well, why else could she not feel well around me? Is she allergic to me?_'

"**Idiot. Are you really that dull?**"

'_What? What are you talkin' about? Why else would she act like that if she was feeling well?_'

"**Hmph. I guess so.**"

'_WHA--T?_'

"**If you can't figure it out, then you really don't deserve to know.**"

'_Tell me!_'

"**I'll let you figure it out. If you can. It should be fun to watch you try to figure it out.**"

'_Bastard fox! Tell me what's going on!_'

"**Hmph.**" Kyubi did not speak again.

'_Stupid fox!_' Naruto yelled in his head. '_What's going on?_'

Naruto was so lost in his thoughts, he almost missed his turn. He came back to reality when he smelled the angelic aroma of ramen. He turned around and quickly made his way to the ramen stand. As he reached the stand, he turned into it and lifted the flap.

Or, at least, that was what he had intended to do, but instead found his self looking into a pair of pale, lavender eyes, inches away from his own.

X-X-X-X-X

Hinata woke up to find herself lying on one of the benches outside of the Hokage's office. She wondered how she had gotten out there when she remembered that she had fainted after the Hokage said that she would have to get close to Naruto. Hinata blushed as she remembered. Sure, she had always wanted to get close to Naruto, but she had always been too shy. Now, she had been ordered to get close to Naruto. What was she going to do?

She began to worry about what she was going to do when Sakura walked out of Tsunade's office. "Finally awake, are we?"

"Umm… S-sorry…" Hinata replied with a blush.

"It's ok. You were out for about an hour, but Tsunade-sama and I had some things to talk about anyway, so it was no problem."

"Oh… Umm…"

"Anyway, let's go and see if we can find Naruto."

"O-okay…" Hinata replied as they made their way out of the Hokage office in search of Naruto.

"W-where should we look first, S-Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked.

"Hmm… It's around lunch time, so why don't we go check the ramen stand. Naruto is always stuffing his face there when he isn't training." Sakura replied thoughtfully.

They made their way to the ramen stand, surprised to find that Naruto wasn't there. "He isn't?" Sakura had asked disbelievingly. "Then where could he be?" "Maybe he's still training?" Ayame suggested. So Hinata and Sakura made their way back to the training grounds.

Naruto wasn't where Sakura had left him when they returned to the spot where Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi had meet earlier. "Where did he go?" Sakura said, frustrated. "That bonehead…"

"I-I don't see him anywhere a-around here…" Hinata said with her Byakugan activated.

"That idiot. He probably got carried away while training and is laying somewhere in the forest in a heap…" Sakura said with a sigh.

"Oh! D-do you think N-Naruto-kun is okay?" Hinata said, worried about what Sakura had said.

"Cool down, Hinata. I was only joking…" Sakura said reassuringly. "But I wouldn't put it past him…"

"B-but…" Hinata wasn't convinced.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine, I'm sure. But if you're really that upset, let's split up and look for him."

"O-okay…" Hinata said with a blush. Maybe she had overreacted a bit. She walked into the nearby forest and activated her Byakugan. She scanned the surrounding area and didn't see anything. She continued deeper into the forest.

Hinata was nearing the heart of the forest when she felt a large release of chakra. It was so immense, she was a little frightened at first, but when she found it's source, she was surprised more than anything. The source of that massive outburst of chakra was from Naruto. She saw that Naruto looked to be trying to gather his chakra and control it in different parts of his body. She was amazed that he had produced such a large burst, and even more amazed when she saw that Naruto's chakra flow was still smooth and he had plenty of chakra remaining.

'_A-amazing! N-Naruto-kun is so strong!_' She thought to herself. '_How is he able to do that?_'

She then observed Naruto reading from a scroll and looking confused. He then opened his hand and looked at it with a face full of determination and frustration. He seemed to be trying to summon his chakra to his hand and then control it in small bursts. But his control wasn't good enough and the chakra ended up shooting from his palm all at once, creating a large and powerful gust in front of him. Hinata watched in amazement as several trees were knocked down by the blast. Naruto didn't seem to be surprised and looked back down at the scroll, looking frustrated.

'_Oh… Naruto-kun… Amazing…_' Hinata thought. He seemed so determined to get it right. Hinata felt that maybe she shouldn't disturb him. It might break his concentration. Hinata decided it was best to leave him be and made her way out of the forest.

She found Sakura waiting at the edge of the forest. "Did you find him?" She asked.

"Y-yes, but he looked like h-he was training, s-so I thought it w-would be best not t-to disturb him…" Hinata replied quietly.

"So he's fine?" Sakura asked.

"Y-yes…"

"Well, he'll stop when he's ready. Let's go find everyone else and talk about our 'mission.' That should kill some time while we wait for Naruto."

"Umm… Okay…" Hinata replied, and they made their way back into town.

Hinata was thinking about Naruto as they wandered about. She remembered the result of his failed attempt to control his chakra. '_Such a strong blast from his chakra… How can Naruto-kun do that?_' Hinata smiled. '_He's so strong. I wish I could be more like Naruto-kun…_'

Hinata was snapped out of her thoughts by a loud greeting from Ino. She found that they had walked into the Yamanaka flower shop that was run by Ino's family. Ino was standing behind the counter. "Hi! What brings you two here?" She greeted happily.

"A top secret mission!" Sakura replied with a whisper.

"Are you gonna tell me what it is?" Ino asked.

"Of course!" Sakura replied happily. "It's not really supposed to be a secret to you guys. Just our target"

"Oooohhh… Who's the target?" Ino asked curiously. This was a juicy bit of gossip.

"Why, non other than our favorite, blonde, loudmouthed future Hokage." Sakura replied. "We've got to get close to the target, earn his trust, and find out his likes, dislikes, and whatnot." She explained in a mock serious voice.

"Oooohhh…" Ino said with curiosity. "So why are you here instead of with Naruto?"

"That knucklehead is training, and probably won't stop 'till he isn't able to move." Sakura replied with a sigh. "He's hopeless…"

"What do you see in him, Hinata?" Ino asked Hinata, who wasn't expecting such a blunt question.

"W-w-what? Y-you mean…" She blushed and looked surprised. "Y-you kn-know?"

"Well, it's kind of obvious…" Ino replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Ohh…" Hinata blushed even more and began to twiddle her fingers as she looked at her feet. "Umm… Well…"

"I mean, granted, he does look _much_ better than he did three years ago…" Ino admitted. "But he's a total doofus. He's really dull and--"

"You're wrong!" Hinata said suddenly, much louder than she normally was. "N-Naruto-kun is b-better than you think. H-he has lots of g-good points. He's really s-strong, and never doubts himself. And he's always s-so determined, and h-he always keeps his promises. And he a-always does everything h-he can to protect the village and his friends, no m-matter what. Y-you just never bothered t-to look at his good accomplishments."

Ino and Sakura were shocked. Hinata had almost shouted, and she stuck up for Naruto. Not only that, but she had made a very good point. Everything she had said was true. Ino sat there, trying to think of an argument, but found that she couldn't. Now that she thought about it, Ino realized that Naruto wasn't who she thought he was.

"I-I'm sorry, Hinata…" She said. "Now that I think about it, you're absolutely right. I can't believe I never saw it before…" She looked truly sorry and guilty, a look rarely seen on the face of Yamanaka Ino.

"Wow, Hinata…" Sakura said in awe. Hinata blushed even more. "You made Ino fell guilty. Those must have been some powerful words…"

"Shut up, billboard-brow!" Ino said angrily.

"What was that, Ino-pig?" Sakura replied with a deadly glare.

"Hmph." Ino grunted. Then she turned to Hinata. "You know, Hinata, now that I've heard how you talk about Naruto, I think I'm starting to see him in a whole knew light…"

Sakura, catching on, smirked. "Yeah, your right, Ino." She said. "Naruto is starting to look very…" She paused a moment for effect.

"…attractive?" Ino finished. "Yeah…" Hinata blushed an even deeper shade of crimson. She knew that they were just teasing, but it was still embarrassing all the same. She decided to change the subject.

"Umm… Sakura-chan, what did we c-come here for in t-the first place?" She asked shyly.

"Oh! Right…" Sakura thought for a moment. "I thought we could get a couple flowers for Naruto. Flowers may not be his thing, but I don't think he gets too many gifts, so I think he would appreciate it all the same. It lets him know we care." She explained to Hinata. "Gifts are a great way to start off relationships. Plus, we need to burn some time while Naruto burns out." With that, the three girls spent the next couple of hours discussing various girl things and picking out flowers.

Around 4 o'clock, Sakura and Hinata left for the Ichiraku. Naruto was bound to be worn out and hungry by now, they reasoned, so they made their way to the ramen stand. But when they arrived, they were surprised yet again to find no Naruto.

"Well, he should be here soon, so we'll wait here," Sakura said. Hinata nodded and they sat on a couple of stools at the end of the stand. After several minutes passed, Naruto still hadn't shown up.

"D-do you think N-Naruto-kun is okay?" Hinata asked nervously.

"I'm sure he's fine," Sakura assured her. "He's probably on his way right now."

"I-I'll wait outside, so I-I'll be able to see if he's c-coming…" Hinata said as she stood up and walked out of the ramen stand. Or almost walked out.

As Hinata lifted the flap and was about to walk out, she was met with the sight of a pair of cerulean eyes, inches away from her own.

X-X-X-X-X

Naruto stared at the pair of pale lavender eyes for several moments before realizing who it was.

"Umm… H-hello, Hinata…" He said slowly, feeling the heat rise in his face.

"N-Naruto…kun…" Hinata's face turned bright crimson.

"Umm…are you two going to stand there like that all day?" said a slightly amused voice. Naruto and Hinata jumped back, both still blushing.

"I-It was an accident, Hinata…" Naruto said, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to… I-I'm sorry…"

"I-I-I'm s-sorry, N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata said in barely a whisper, trying her hardest not to pass out.

"Well, I assume you came to eat, Naruto?" Sakura reminded Naruto with a wide grin on her face.

"Oh! Umm…yeah…" Naruto remembered his severe hunger. His stomach grumbled loudly. "I could really use some ramen right about now…"

"Ah, it's my favorite customer!" the owner shouted in delight. "Come! Sit down, Naruto! First bowl is on the house!"

"Alright!" Naruto cheered in delight. "Nothing like a free bowl of ramen after a long day of training."

"Well, sit down, Naruto." Sakura said. "Do you mind if we join you?" She asked.

"Sure, go ahead!" Naruto replied. "Hey! I'll have some pork ramen!"

"I'll have some miso ramen, please." Sakura requested.

"And how about you, young lady?" The owner directed at Hinata. Hinata snapped back to reality and quietly requested pork ramen, as well.

As they were waiting for their ramen, Naruto turned toward his two companions. "So, why have you guys decided to join me today?" He asked.

"What? We can't join our friend for lunch… err, dinner?" Sakura said with a hurt voice.

"Oh, okay…" Naruto replied. "Sorry… I was just wondering."

"It's okay." Sakura said. "So, Naruto…"

"Hmm?"

"Since we have next week or so pretty much off, how about joining me and Hinata tomorrow for lunch?"

"Well, I guess…but what about training?"

"You bonehead! Becoming stronger isn't all about physical training! It's also mental training, and knowing when to rest!"

"What? How does that help me become stronger?" Naruto said, confused.

"Well, join us tomorrow and find out." Sakura said, exasperated. "And if it means that much to you, we'll find Lee or somebody, and train with them some, okay, muscle head?"

"…" Naruto remained quiet (a rare occurrence, I know…).

Their ramen arrived and Naruto began stuffing his face, downing bowl after bowl at an amazing pace that could put Choji to shame. By the time Sakura was finished with her first bowl, Naruto had already finished four.

"Geez…" Sakura sighed. After finishing his fifth bowl, Naruto put down the empty bowl and looked at Hinata.

"You're awfully quiet, Hinata. Are you sure you didn't catch a cold last night?" He asked, concerned (and totally oblivious).

"Oh! Umm… I-I'm feeling fine, N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata replied shyly, surprised by Naruto's concern.

"Hmm? Last night?" Sakura asked curiously. She smiled evilly. "What happened last night?"

"Umm… Uhh…" Hinata replied nervously. "W-well…"

"I met Hinata all by herself last night. I was worried why she was all by herself in the middle of the night, so I talked to her." Naruto said. "She told me about all the stuff that happened while I was gone."

"Oh…" Sakura said slyly. "Just the two of you? Sounds a little romantic…"

"W-what?" Naruto choked. "N-no! I-it wasn't like that…!"

"Hmm…" Sakura said, unconvinced. Hinata blushed (some more).

X-X-X-X-X

"Ahh…!" Naruto said satisfactorily. "That was refreshing!"

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata said in amazement. Naruto had eaten fourteen bowls.

"Geez…" Sakura sighed again. "Are you full now?"

"Yep!" Naruto said happily.

"Anyway… If your done, let's go." Sakura said. The other two agreed and got up.

"Before we leave, Naruto, Hinata has something to give you…" Sakura said. "Hinata."

"Oh! Umm…" She shuffled her feet and blushed. "Umm… H-here, N-Naruto-kun…" She handed him a small bunch of roses.

"Oh! Umm… Thanks, Hinata!" Naruto said, surprised. He had never received any gifts before (outside of the hospital). "They're really pretty."

Hinata blushed some more. "Umm… Y-you're w-welcome…"

"Aww, how cute!" came a voice from behind. They turned around to see Jiraiya standing there, watching them. "Naruto's got himself a _girlfriend_! My little Naruto is growing up." He faked a sob. "It makes a teacher proud!"

Naruto blushed deeply and glared angrily at the sennin's statement. "W-WHAT?" Naruto fumbled over his words, blushing deeper with every passing second, though his blush was nothing compared to Hinata's. "S-she's not my girlfriend! Don't jump to conclusions, you old lecher!"

"Hmm… I wonder…." Jiraiya said thoughtfully. "What do you think, Sakura?"

"I think they make a perfect couple!" Sakura said playfully.

"S-S-Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, his face crimson now. Hinata was practically glowing.

"Well, goodnight, you two lovebirds!" Jiraiya said as he walked away. "Behave!"

"ERO-SENNIN!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura giggled. "Goodnight, Naruto, Hinata. See you two tomorrow." She turned and began to walk away.

"G-g-goodnight, Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun…" Hinata said quietly, still blushing violently.

"Hmph…" Naruto pouted as he walked away. "Goodnight, Sakura-chan, Hinata…" He paused. "…chan…"

X-X-X-X-X

"What news do you bring?" A dark figure asked. He was dressed in a black cloak with red clouds with white outlines decorating his fashion statement. Two figures were standing in front of him, both wearing matching attires.

"It seems the Kyubi brat's birthday is coming up." The (much) taller figure with a large sword said. "Seem's Konoha has stopped accepting outside requests to prepare for this _special_ event."

"How touching…" the first figure said. "…but what of it?"

The other figure spoke up. He had red eyes with three black dots surrounding the pupil. "Konoha has lowered it's guard."

"Hmm…"

"What shall our course of action be?"

"Keep watch on the village. I will give further orders before the _big day_…"

"Very well."

* * *

A/N – Yay, another chapter. Sorry, this chapter was a little later than usual. Writer's block. Plus stress and exhaustion. Stupid finals and EOCTs and all that bull… Writer's block plus finals plus lack of sleep equals unhappy author. But I tell ya, the tests are a great cure for writer's block, I must admit. Man, a cliffhanger. First one. Ooooooo. Things get interesting. _Dun dun DUN!_ Hope you enjoyed. R&R!


	5. Training Day

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

Action time! Yeah!

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

**_Chapter V – Training Day_**

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, rubbing her forehead. She had a headache. A big one. She had been receiving complaints all day about the mission suspension she had enacted. The damn villagers didn't like the fact that they were ignoring mission requests for some demon's birthday. Needless to say, Tsunade became very angry very quickly. She had been yelling all day.

'_Stupid villagers…_' Tsunade thought. '_If I wasn't Hokage…_'

Why couldn't the villagers see that Naruto was Naruto, and not the damn Kyubi? They were thicker than Naruto. And THAT was saying something. Tsunade could only hope that the villagers, in there infinite stupidity, didn't ruin everything.

X-X-X-X-X

Hinata stood there, silently, as she watched the retreating figure of the one she admired, shocked at what she had just heard. Naruto had called her 'Hinata-chan'. She couldn't believe it.

"N-Naruto…kun…" she whispered in disbelief. She continued to stand there, lost in her thoughts.

She didn't know how long she stood there before she turned to make her way home, only that she was happier than she had ever been.

X-X-X-X-X

The next day, Naruto woke up and began his daily routine. After washing and getting dressed, he left his apartment and headed towards the marketplace, taking a familiar route. Not surprisingly, he ended up at the Ichiraku Ramen stand. He sat down and took his usual order of pork ramen. While he sat, waiting for his ramen, he thought about what he would do that day.

'_Hmm… I wonder what I'm gonna do today… I wonder if I have a mission… Oh, yeah! We have some mission hiatus thing goin' on, so no missions. Damn. Guess that means more training then!_' He made up his mind when his ramen came.

As Naruto sat there, he thought, '_I wonder who I can find to train with me. It's boring, training by my self. Wait! I know! Fuzzy-Brows! He's always training, plus he and Gai-sensei are the best taijutsu users in Konoha, so training with them will be really good for my form! Plus, maybe Neji can help me with my chakra control. Aren't Hyugas supposed to be experts at chakra control? And Tenten can help with weapons and stuff. Sounds perfect!_' Naruto finished his ramen, got up, paid, and left for the training grounds.

About halfway to the training grounds, Naruto walked past the Hyuga mansion. '_Whoa! That place is HUGE! Do Hinata-chan and Neji really live there?_' He thought in awe. '_They never struck me as the rich types. They don't act like it. But, I guess they are Hyugas after all. Man, it's so obvious. I'm an idiot!_' He mentally slapped himself. "Huh?"

The front gates opened and Hinata walked out, smiling. '_Hey! It's Hinata-chan! I guess she's a morning person…_' Naruto walked up to Hinata and greeted her with an "Ah! Good morning, Hinata-chan!" Hinata turned around and blushed when she saw who it was.

"Oh! Umm… G-good morning, Naruto-kun…" She said shyly. '_Why must I stutter?_' She scolded herself. "H-how are you?"

"I'm great!" He said happily. For some reason, seeing Hinata made him feel really good. "How about you? You're still a little pink…"

"U-umm… I-I'm fine… R-really…"

"If you're sure…" Naruto said, uncertain. "Well, where are you going?"

"I-I'm going to the t-training grounds to t-train with K-Kiba-kun and Shino-kun…"

"Really? Then I'll walk with you, I'm going there, too."

"U-umm…" Hinata's blushed deepened. '_Naruto-kun wants to walk with me? What should I do? What do I say?_' "O-okay… Sure…" She replied quietly.

"Then let's go!" Naruto turned around and walked on. "Come on, Hinata-chan!"

"Oh!" She caught up to him. She then remembered that she had a mission to find out what sort of things Naruto liked. "Umm… N-Naruto-kun…"

"Yeah?"

"I-I was just w-wondering… Ummm… Well…"

"What's up, Hinata-chan?"

"Uh… W-what…sort of…t-things do you like, N-Naruto-kun?"

"Hmm?" Naruto looked thoughtful. "Well… I dunno… I never really thought about it, 'cause I usually don't get things from people, so my wants are kinda simple."

"Oh…" Hinata looked disheartened. Nobody had ever given him a gift?

"Well, I like ramen…and clean pranks… Oh! I really like your cooking, Hinata-chan! It's really good!" Naruto suddenly said, remembering the times he had tried Hinata's cooking before he left with Jiraiya.

To say that Hinata blushed more would be a massive understatement. She was practically glowing crimson. '_N-Naruto-kun likes my cooking?_' "R-really, N-Naruto-kun?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah! Of course I do! You're a really good cook!" Naruto replied enthusiastically. "And you have really pretty eyes and a pretty voice--" He stopped dead, realizing what he just said. He blushed one of Hinata's darker shades of crimson, but this was nothing compared to Hinata's blush. Somehow, she was managing to blush even more brilliantly than before (How does she do it?). Both had stopped dead in their tracks. '_Ahh! Why did I say that? Oh, man, Hinata-chan's all red! Is she mad? Did I say something bad?_' "H-Hinata-chan…I--"

"N-Naruto…kun…" Hinata mumbled before she swooned and fainted.

"Hinata-chan!"

X-X-X-X-X

Naruto was walking toward the training grounds, holding Hinata in his arms bridal style, because she passed out after his accidental slip of the tongue. Naruto had no idea why he said that. It just came out.

'_Damn it! Why did I say that? Why?_'

"**Are you so dull that you can't even figure out why you _yourself_ did something?**" Kyubi growled lazily.

'_Stupid fox! Did I ask for your opinion?_'

"**No, but you looked like you were struggling. I'd just thought I'd help.**"

'_I don't need your help, dumb fox, now shut up and let me think._'

"**Don't hurt yourself…**"

'_Ahh! Shut up!_'

"**Back to the matter at hand… You were wondering why you said that. Now what possible reason could you have for saying that?**"

'_Umm… Because--_'

"**Maybe because you think it's true?**"

'_I guess…_' Naruto thought in response with a light blush, pouting.

"**Maybe because you, I dunno…**"

'_Spit it out, stupid fox!_'

"…**_Like_ her?**"

"WHA--T?" Naruto thought out loud. "I-I do not like--"

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Came a voice from behind.

Naruto jumped in surprise. "Ahh! Who--!"

"Are…you alright, Naruto?" Came another voice.

Naruto turned around to find Sakura and Tenten standing there, looking like he was disturbed. "S-Sakura-chan… Tenten…" He said nervously. "Uhh… Nothing to worry about!" He flashed a nervous grin.

"Then why is Hinata in your arms, unconscious?" Tenten pointed out, not believing him.

"Naruto…" Sakura gave him a dangerous look. "What did you do to Hinata?"

"N-nothing!" Naruto responded nervously. "We were just walking together and talking, and then I said something, and then she went all read in the face and fainted! I swear!"

"What did you say to her?"

"Uhh…" '_Oh, crap! What do I do? I can't tell her that I said she had pretty eyes and a pretty voice! Even if she does… Ahh! No! I can't think like that! Come on, Naruto! Think! Think!_' "I-I just said I liked her cooking…" He said, hoping against hope that they would believe him.

"Oh…" Sakura said. She understood. Hinata probably had been shocked enough that she had gotten to walk with Naruto, and then when he had complimented her, she lost it. '_The girl has some serious confidence issues… Oh, well, if there's anyone who can fix that, it's Naruto…_' She thought. "Okay, then. So, where were you two headed?"

Naruto was relieved they bought that. Technically, it was true. Just not entirely true. "Uhh… We were heading towards the training grounds…" He said.

"Oh, then we'll go with you. We were heading there, too," Tenten said as they started walking.

"So…" Sakura said mischievously with a smirk. "Why were you two walking together?"

"W-what?" Naruto said with a light blush. '_Damn it! Why do women always ask stuff like his? They're always so nosy… Well, Hinata-chan isn't that bad…_' "Why should I tell you?"

"Because people might get the wrong idea…" Sakura said. "You know… People might think something was going on…"

"W-what are you talking about?"

'_He's really slow…_' Sakura thought. "People might think it was some kind of date or something…"

"WHAT?" Naruto shouted with a deeper blush. "I-It wasn't anything like that! W-we were just walking together! We're j-just friends! Friends can walk together and talk, can't they?"

"Calm down, Naruto…" Sakura said, suppressing giggles. "I was just kidding."

"Oh… Well…"

"But from your reaction, one might say you were nervous…" Sakura said with a sly grin. "Why would you be so nervous? Hmm? Do you, perhaps…"

"Umm… We're here…" Tenten suddenly said.

"Thank you, Tenten!" Naruto said before rushing off to find Hinata's team.

"Geez… I was having fun, Tenten…" Sakura said, disappointed.

"Leave him alone, Sakura-chan." Tenten said with a smile. "He'll sort it all out eventually… Even if he is an idiot…"

X-X-X-X-X

Naruto, Sakura and Tenten found Hinata's and Tenten's teams together, apparently waiting for the aforementioned kunoichi.

"Geez… Finally!" Kiba said. "Hey, where's Hinata?"

"Uhh…" Naruto walked up to Kiba, carrying Hinata. "She…passed out…"

"Geez…" Kiba said with a sigh. "What did you do this time, Naruto?"

"Why does everyone blame me?" Naruto shouted.

"Because you're the only one she faints around, idiot!" Kiba yelled back.

"Do you wanna go, dog-boy?"

"I could beat your ass any day, dumbass!"

"Will you two SHUT UP!" Sakura yelled, whacking them both on the head.

"Oww…" Kiba muttered.

"Geez…" Naruto mumbled, walking over to a tree to set Hinata down. "I'll watch Hinata-chan 'till she wakes up."

"Very well," Neji said. '_Hinata-chan?_'

"Since we are all here," Gai suddenly spoke up. "And since our young friend has been gone so long, I say we all train together, to see how much we have all grown!"

"That is brilliant, Gai-sensei!" Lee said.

"That sounds like a good idea, Gai." Kurenai said.

"Yes," Shino said in agreement. "I wish to see how much Naruto has grown."

"Me, too!" Kiba yelled. "I want to see if he can beat me now!"

"Very well," Neji said again.

"Can't you be a little more original?" Tenten said sarcastically to the Hyuga prodigy.

"Can't you be a little quieter?" Neji replied. "It really doesn't matter…"

"Grr…" Tenten growled. "Hyuga Neji… I'm gonna kick your ass…"

Neji faltered a little upon feeling Tenten's killer intent. She could be scary when she was angry… "T-Tenten…" (Neji stuttering? OMG! Tenten's scary… O.o)

"Anyway…" Gai said, breaking up the argument. "We'll draw names out of a bag to determine opponents." Gai wrote down everyone's names and put them into a small pouch. "We'll wait until Hinata wakes up, and then we'll have the first drawing. Until then we'll train like we normally do." Everyone went about their normal training routines, except Naruto, who was still watching over Hinata.

Kurenai came over to check on them. "So, what happened?"

'_Even Kurenai-sensei, too? Are all women this troublesome? Shikamaru was right…_' "Well, we were walking together on our way here, and I said I liked her cooking, and then she went all red and fainted…"

"I see…" Kurenai said, smiling. '_Poor Hinata… She really needs to be more confident… Well, I guess Naruto is the perfect one for the job._' "Well, tell me when she wakes up."

"Alright…"

X-X-X-X-X

An hour later, Hinata regained consciousness, only to find Naruto staring at her. "Hinata-chan! You're awake!"

"N-Naruto-kun?" She said, blushing. "W-what happened?"

"Well… You sort of…passed out…"

"Wha…" Hinata suddenly remembered her walk with Naruto. '_I walked with Naruto-kun! And he said he liked my cooking! And…_' She remembered that he had also said he had thought her eyes were pretty and her voice was pretty, too. '_Did he really mean that? Oh, Naruto-kun!_' "Umm… N-Naruto-kun…"

"Yeah, Hinata-chan?" Naruto replied.

"Umm… W-what you said before…while w-we were w-walking…d-did you really mean t-that?" She blushed furiously, poking her index fingers together.

"Oh…" Naruto blushed deeply as well. "Umm… Y-yeah…"

Hinata almost fainted again upon hearing the affirmative. '_Naruto-kun thinks my eyes and voice are pretty!_' "Umm… T-thank you…" She said shyly.

"Hehe…" Naruto scratched the back of his head, flashing his trademark grin while chuckling embarrassedly. "Well…"

"Oh, Hinata! You're awake!" Kurenai said suddenly. "Oh… Uhh, did I interrupt?" She added when she saw the dejected look on Hinata's face.

'_Kurenai-sensei… Couldn't you have come a few minutes later… I was talking with Naruto-kun…_' Hinata thought sadly.

Naruto sighed in relief. '_Thank you, Kurenai-sensei! That was a really awkward moment!_' "Uhh… No, we were just talkin'…"

"Okay, then," Kurenai said. "Then we can begin the matches."

"Umm… N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata directed at Naruto. "W-what's Kurenai-sensei talking about?"

"Oh! We're having organized sparring matches, 'cause I wanna see how much everyone has gotten stronger, and they all wanna see how much stronger I've gotten." Naruto explained. "I can't wait to see how much stronger you've gotten, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata blushed (some more). "Oh…" '_Naruto-kun thinks I've gotten stronger? Oh, Naruto-kun!_'

"I see that you're finally awake, Hinata," Gai said from behind them. "Did…I interrupt?"

"N-no…" Hinata said shyly.

"Oh, good!" Gai said happily. "I would've hated to interrupt the romance that is the Springtime of Youth!"

"G-Gai-sensei!" Naruto stuttered. "I-It wasn't anything like that!" Hinata hung her head ('_I wish it was…_').

"Hmm?" Gai said, confused. "Well, anyway, on to the first drawing!" Everyone gathered around. "Now, Naruto, as the guest of honor, you can draw first!"

"Okay…" Naruto reached into the pouch. "Looks like I'm fighting…Fuzzy-Brows!"

"Fantastic!" Lee shouted. "I shall be the first one to face Naruto-kun! Now I shall see firsthand his growth!"

"Ahh… The Springtime of Youth!" Gai said proudly. "Well, let the first match begin!"

X-X-X-X-X

"Are you ready, Fuzzy-Brows?" Naruto said enthusiastically.

"I could not be happier, being able to fight you first!" Lee replied.

"Then, BEGIN" Gai shouted, standing to the side with everyone else, watching.

"G-good luck, Naruto-kun!" Hinata said.

"Let's go!" Naruto shouted, charging at Lee.

Naruto threw a punch at Lee. Lee easily blocked it, but with amazing speed, Naruto threw another one. Lee blocked this one, too, now having both of Naruto's fists captured. Naruto jumped up and attempted to kick Lee with his feet. Lee jumped back and quickly counter-rushed Naruto as he was landing. Naruto dodged the punch with amazing grace and aimed a kick at Lee's head. Lee blocked this and jumped back.

"It seems that you have become much faster, Naruto-kun," Lee said.

"And that's not all I got!" Naruto replied. "Check this out…" Lee waited for several seconds before wondering if Naruto was going to do anything.

"Well? I am waiting!"

"Behind you."

"Wha--" Lee turned around, finding Naruto standing there. "How--"

"That's a clone," Naruto said, pointing to the Naruto that Lee had been fighting before.

"But I never even saw you make a seal…"

"Amazing, isn't it?" Naruto said proudly before aiming a punch at Lee's abdomen. Lee made to dodge the punch, but found he couldn't move. He looked down and found a pair if hands holding his ankles. '_Wha--_' Was his last thought before Naruto's punch connected, sending him several feet backward.

"I see that you are serious, Naruto-kun," Lee said. He reached down and removed the weights around his lower legs. "Now, let us fight!"

Lee disappeared. "Hehe… Alright!" Naruto said, before disappearing as well. All of a sudden, Naruto and Lee would appear randomly, landing blows on each other. They were moving so fast, even Gai and Kurenai were having trouble keeping up.

"N-Naruto-kun and Lee-kun are so fast!" Hinata said in amazement. Sakura, Tenten, Kiba and Neji were just as awed. Shino, as usual, didn't show any sign of surprise, other than his raised eyebrows.

"Amazing…" Tenten muttered. "Naruto can keep up with Lee's speed…"

Naruto and Lee kept landing blow after blow, until both finally appeared opposite each other, both panting.

"Pretty good…Fuzzy-Brows…"

"You, too…Naruto-kun…"

Lee recovered first and charged at Naruto with amazing speed. Naruto just smirked and stood up. Lee was about to punch him when he disappeared with a flicker. '_What? Where did Naruto-san go?_' Naruto had disappeared so fast he had left a very brief after-image.

"Here!" Came a shout from below Lee. _BAM!_ Lee went flying into the air. Naruto appeared above him with a flicker and put his hands together and swung at Lee, sending him flying back down to the ground. When he landed, several Naruto clones grabbed him and secured him. "Now check this out!" Naruto began charging up a Rasengan in his hand.

"N-Naruto! Are you crazy?" Sakura shouted, thinking that Naruto was about to use the Rasengan on Lee. "You can't use that on Lee!"

"S-Sakura-chan…" Hinata said. "N-Naruto-kun wouldn't do that…" Right she was. Naruto aimed the Rasengan towards his feet. He held it there as it met the ground. This form of the Rasengan had more spin than power to it.

"_Rasengan Misairu_!" Naruto went flying straight up into the air, spinning madly. After he reached the apex of his launch, he made a clone in midair. He grabbed it and swung it around as he was spinning, then released it. The resulting momentum caused the clone to fly at an incredible speed towards Lee, looking like nothing more than a blur. "Woohoo!" the clone shouted. "Eat this! _Bunshin Su-Pa-Misairu_!"

_BOOM!_ The clone made contact with Lee, resulting in a huge blow and a gigantic impact crater. When the smoke from the clones and the dust from the crater disappeared, Lee was in the middle of the crater, unconscious with a dazed look on his face. Naruto landed from his jump clumsily, just as dazed as Lee. "W-whoa…" He mumbled, swaying left and right, dizzy. "M-maybe…I overdid it…"

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata ran to Naruto and caught him before he fell on his face.

"H-Hinata…chan…" He said dizzily. "I-I'm…alright…"

"Naruto-kun, that was amazing!" Hinata said. "Y-your speed was incredible!"

Naruto seemed to come out of his daze and smiled his trademark grin. "Hehe… It was nothing!"

"Naruto, that was amazing!" Sakura came over. "You were really fast!"

"Yeah…" Kiba said, a little disheartened. "Maybe faster than me…"

"Very impressive, Naruto…" Shino complimented.

"Yes, Naruto…" Neji agreed. "I'm looking forward to fighting you."

"Hehe…" Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "I can take you all!"

"Don't let you big head get in the way of reason, idiot," Sakura said. "And stop showing off."

"You're just jealous, Sakura-chan…" Naruto replied.

"Umm… I-I thought you were really c-cool, Naruto-kun…" Hinata said shyly with a blush.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan! At least someone appreciates my amazing talent…" Naruto replied. "Why can't you all be more like Hinata-chan?"

'_Hinata-chan?_' Sakura, Tenten, Kiba, Gai, and Kurenai thought simultaneously. "'Cause, you're an idiot." Kiba replied. "The only one who could be like that around you is Hinata. The rest of us can't stand you."

"K-Kiba-kun!" Hinata said disapprovingly.

"I was just joking, Hinata…" Kiba replied. "We just have our own ways of showing affection, right, Akamaru?" "Bark!" Akamaru agreed.

"Well, let's move on with the matches, shall we?" Kurenai said. "Who's drawing next?"

"Hey, Kurenai-sensei!" Naruto said suddenly. "I have an idea!"

"What is it, Naruto?" She said, curious.

"Why don't we do the matches in pairs? That way we everyone can fight sooner!"

"Well, I guess that's a good idea…" Kurenai said thoughtfully. "We could work on teamwork… But what gave you that idea?"

"I just had an idea I wanted to try out!" Naruto replied energetically. "It's really cool!"

"Very well," Kurenai agreed. "Than what are the partner assignments?"

"I'll be with Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted. "Come on, I have a really cool idea, Hinata-chan!" Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand, resulting in a deep blush that was already very deep due to Naruto's request that she be his partner, and led her away to discuss his plan.

"I'll be Neji's partner." Tenten said. Neji did not appear to have a problem, and they, too, left.

"Sakura, would you like to be my partner?" Lee asked Sakura.

"Sure, why not?" Sakura said as she and Lee walked away to discuss their plans.

"Guess that means you and me, Shino," Kiba said to his teammate.

"Very well," He replied, and they, too, walked off.

"Alright, we'll take a half-hour break to discuss team tactics, then we'll begin drawing again." Gai said as they all left.

X-X-X-X-X

"N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata said nervously. She couldn't believe that Naruto wanted her to be his partner. "Umm… W-why did you c-choose me to b-be your partner?"

"Because, my plan requires you, Hinata-chan!" Naruto replied. "Is there something wrong? Wait? Do you not want to be my partner?"

"N-no? Its n-not that… I was j-just wondering what y-your plan was…"

"Oh! Well listen up!" Naruto said gleefully. "It's really cool. Here's the plan…"

* * *

A/N – Sorry for the late update. I'm just lazy. So here's an extra long chapter for an extra long wait! Fair enough? Probably not… Sorry! Anyway, we get to see some ass-whuppin', Naruto-style! It's Badass! Sorry if the story is still too slow for some of you. I need Naruto and Hinata's relationship to develop before I get to the next arc of the story. Then we get to all the badass action! After that, we get to the third arc with all of the badass NaruHina fluff you could wish for! Yay, fluff! (throws Naruto and Hinata plushies everywhere) Hope you enjoyed! R&R please! Reviews motivate me and make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like NaruHina fluff!


	6. Naruto's Plan

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

Your reviews mean so much to me! From the bottom of my heart, thank you all. I really do appreciate it. Like I said, your words keep me motivated. Now, next chapter! We have some NaruHina teamwork action (which means NaruHina fluff)! Yay! (throws Naruto and Hinata plushies everywhere) I know I already threw those, but who cares? Everyone loves Naruto and Hinata! Also, there will be some NejiTen fluff in this chapter, 'cause stuck-up cool guys and weapons mistresses need love, too. YAY FLUFF! (throws Neji and Tenten plushies)

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

**_Chapter VI – Naruto's Plan_**

"…Okay, Hinata-chan. That's the plan." Naruto said with a grin.

"N-Naruto-kun… D-don't you think Neji-ni-san would have b-been a better partner for th-this?" Hinata said nervously. "I-I mean… He could probably do it better…"

"No, Hinata-chan! I need YOU for this plan. One, you're much more graceful than Neji, and I want that." Naruto explained. Hinata blushed. "Two, I don't want to work with some stuck-up prodigy with a stick up his ass. You're a much better teammate, Hinata." He said matter-of-factly. Hinata giggled at the description of her cousin, and then blushed when Naruto said she was a better teammate.

"O-okay, Naruto-kun…" Hinata said with a small smile.

Naruto grinned. "Okay then! So, do you remember the plan?" Hinata nodded. "Good. We're gonna kick so much ass!"

Hinata giggled at her crush's actions. Even though he was sixteen, he acted like he was still eight sometimes. She liked this quality about him though. '_I bet he's really good with kids…_' Hinata thought. She then added, with a blush, '_He'd probably make a great father…_' "I-it's a great plan, Naruto-kun…" And it really was.

Naruto calmed down and a thought occurred to him. "Hey, Hinata-chan…"

"Y-yes, Naruto-kun?"

"Why do you call me 'Naruto-kun'? You're the only one who's called me that since as long as we've known each other. The few others who call me that only started so recently."

Hinata blushed a deep crimson and looked away. "Umm… W-well…" '_What do I say?_' "I-I… Umm… I…"

"Hinata-chan? Are you okay?" Naruto said, concerned.

"Y-yes… I-it's just that… W-well… I-I…"

"Naruto! Hinata! Are you guys finished?" Kurenai asked suddenly, walking over to where the two aforementioned shinobi were sitting. "Time's up."

"Oh, yeah! We're ready!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically, standing up. "Right, Hinata-chan?"

"R-right!" Hinata said with a small smile and a blush, standing up beside Naruto.

'_Well, they seem confident enough…_' Kurenai thought with a smirk. '_Even Hinata… Naruto, you can work some serious miracles…_' "Well, alright then. Let's get everyone else and resume our little 'tournament'…"

X-X-X-X-X

"…and that's what we're gonna do…" Tenten said to her partner, the esteemed Hyuga prodigy. Neji gave her an accusing look.

"Sound more like you're playing matchmaker rather than making a good battle plan." Neji said sternly. "Besides, how do you know that we're going to fight Naruto-san and Hinata-sama?"

"You're no fun, Neji…" Tenten said, pouting.

"I never said that it was a bad idea, Tenten…" Neji said with a smirk. "Like I'd pass up a chance to embarrass those two."

"Neji!" Tenten said, shocked. _The _Hyuga Neji was going to go along with this little prank? "I always took you for a cold, stuck-up prodigy with a stick up his ass that was incapable of being childish enough to pull such a prank."

"…" Neji looked annoyed. "Did I really give off that kind of impression?"

"Without even trying." Tenten replied without missing a beat. Neji faltered.

'_Damn…_' He thought. '_Am I really like that?_'

"Anyway… As for facing Naruto and Hinata… You will use your Byakugan to peek into the pouch and draw their names. Got it?" Tenten said firmly.

"Alright…" Neji replied, still a little flustered from being described in such a way.

"Are you two ready?" Gai asked, walking over to them. "Time's up."

"We're ready, Gai-sensei." Tenten replied. "Aren't we, Neji?"

"Yes…" Was Neji's weak reply.

"Alright! Let the flames of youth continue to burn strong in our little 'tournament'!" Gai shout enthusiastically. "Let us join the others!" Neji and Tenten looked a little disturbed as they always did at their sensei's antics, but followed.

X-X-X-X-X

"Alright, let's draw the next names." Kurenai said. "Neji and Tenten, why don't you have the honors?"

"Alright. Neji?" Tenten directed at the Hyuga prodigy. Neji reached in the pouch, when, suddenly, there was a loud '_POOF!_' and Kakashi appeared in a cloud of smoke, reading his little book.

"Yo!" He said simply. "So this is where you two are…"

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto greeted. "You came just in time to see me and Hinata kick some serious ass with our super-awesome plan!"

"But, N-Naruto-kun, we don't i-if we're even gonna f-fight yet…" Hinata said quietly.

"Oh, yeah…" Naruto replied with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head. "Guess I was just a little…caught-up in the moment…"

"Well, this should be interesting…" Kakashi said curiously. "I think I'll stay and watch the show."

"Uhh… Alright…" Kurenai said slowly. "Neji?"

"Hm? Oh!" He said, drifting back to the task at hand and drawing a slip of paper out of the pouch. "We shall face… Naruto and Hinata." He said monotonously.

"Haha! Alright! Now you all can see our super-awesome plan!" Naruto shouted, pumped. "Right, Hinata-chan?" Hinata nodded confidently in reply, no doubt present in her eyes.

''_Hinata-chan'?_' Kakashi thought. '_Naruto and Hinata, huh? This should be…entertaining to say the least. But I am looking forward to seeing their progress. Relationship-wise and skill-wise…_' He thought with a smile.

"Damn, Naruto gets all the fights…" Kiba said, pouting.

"Well, he has been away for three years…" Sakura said. "The more he fights, the more we see how much he's grown. I'm eager to see more of Naruto's growth…"

"As am I." Shino agreed.

"Hmph… I guess…" Kiba said. "I still wanna fight, though…" '_I could kick his ass…_'

"Besides, I wanna see how good Naruto and Hinata work together. They make a cute couple, so maybe they'll make a good team…" Sakura added.

"Women…" Kiba muttered, earning him a whack on the head. "Oww…"

"I heard that!"

"Well, it's true… All women are hopeless romantics… All you guys care about is 'who's hooking up with whom' and 'who should so-and-so get together with' and 'don't this person and this person make a good couple'…" Kiba argued.

"Is that a sexist comment?" Sakura said angrily.

"N-no! Just my opinion…"

"Well, keep you're opinions to yourself. Sometimes you can be as stupid as Naruto sometimes…"

"WHAT?"

"Shut up, you two." Kakashi said. "The match is starting."

"You remember the plan, Neji?" Tenten asked.

"For the umpteenth time, YES!" Neji answered, annoyed. "I remember!"

"Okay, geez…"

"Ready, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Y-yes, Naruto-kun…" Hinata replied confidently, albeit quietly.

"Then let's start the match!" Gai yelled. "BEGIN!"

X-X-X-X-X

"Alright, Neji! I've wanted to fight you." Naruto said confidently. "I think I gotta can of wup ass with your name on it."

"Naruto, you're not the only one who has improved during these three years." Neji replied calmly. "Let's see who has improved more…"

"Is that all you think about, Neji? 'Is so-and-so stronger than me'?" Tenten said sarcastically. "Men and their pride…" Hinata giggled at that.

"Aww, Hinata-chan, not you, too…" Naruto whined. "I'm not that bad…"

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun…" Hinata said with a small smile. "But…"

"Whatever! Let's fight!" Naruto yelled, rushing Neji.

"Hm." Neji grunted, smirking and activating his Byakugan.

Naruto sent several punches at Neji, all of which he blocked. Neji retaliated, sending a Juken strike at Naruto's stomach. Naruto dodged and sent a kick at Neji's head. Neji blocked, grabbing his leg. He then swung Naruto at a clone that was about to attack him from behind. Both Narutos disappeared and another jumped out from the ground, attempting to uppercut Neji. Neji jumped back and smirked, jumping up and dodging another clone's attempt to trip him from behind, and then blocking Naruto's punches in midair as they came. After landing, he jumped back and sent several shuriken at the two Narutos. They dodged and ran towards Neji. Neji engaged them and blocked all of their attacks at an amazing speed. He took out one Naruto and ducked, dodging a Rasengan from behind that flew over him and dispatched the remaining clone. He then sent a kick at the real Naruto, the one that used the Rasengan. Naruto was hit from behind and flew away several yards.

"Damn, Neji. You and your stupid eyes…" Naruto whined as he picked himself up.

"Like I said, you're not the only one that has improved over the years. I am impressed with your usage of the _Kage Bunshin_, though." Neji said, smirking.

"Like I said to Lee, I got more tricks…"

Meanwhile, Hinata engaged Tenten. Tenten sent weapons flying at Hinata with amazing speed and precision. Hinata dodged them with equally amazing speed and grace, working her way toward Tenten. Tenten threw several kunai with explosive seals on them, using chakra strings to guide them around Hinata. After they were evenly distributed around the Hyuga Heiress, she brought her hands together in a familiar seal. "_Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" She shouted, and the several kunai turned into several dozen kunai, all heading towards Hinata. Hinata stopped and got into a ready position. As the kunai came upon her, she expelled chakra from all of her tenketsu and spun. "_Kaiten_!" She shouted, deflecting the kunai. However, she failed to notice the explosive seals on the many kunai, and a massive explosion followed. After the smoke cleared, Hinata was nowhere to be seen; only several destroyed logs. Several shuriken whizzed past Tenten and she humped back, finding Hinata waiting for her. She sent a Juken strike to her back, and Tenten disappeared with a _poof!_ Hinata's eyes widened in surprise as Tenten jumped out of a tree and sent several kunai flying toward her. They hit their mark and Hinata, too, disappeared, leaving a log in her place. This time, Tenten widened her eyes in surprise, as Hinata appeared behind her, holding a kunai to her throat.

"Hehe… Guess you win, Hinata…" Tenten said.

Naruto and Neji continued to go at each other, neither showing signs of giving in. Neji sent several Juken strikes at Naruto, all of which he dodged. Neji sent another strategically thrown strike at Naruto. Naruto dodged to the inside, seeing an opening. Neji smirked; Naruto walked into his trap. Neji's position allowed him to slide his right foot back, effectively throwing Naruto off-balance. Using this opening, Neji punched Naruto, sending him back a couple feet back. He then got into a stance Naruto knew all too well. "_Jukenpo: Hakke Rokujuyon Sho_!" He said, flying towards Naruto. Sealing his tenketsu at the speed of sound, Neji jumped back after he was finished. Naruto doubled over.

"Damn, that move still hurts like hell…" Naruto gasped.

"Hmhm… It's over, Naruto." Neji said, smirking.

"He… Did you forget about the Chunin exams already?" Naruto said with a mischievous grin. "Hah!" He put his hand together in a seal, focusing and gathering chakra. He learned a neat little trick from Jiraiya, where he sends a powerful pulse of Kyubi's chakra through his chakra system, effectively countering the effects of attacks such as this. He concentrated and sent a brief, but powerful, pulse of Kyubi's chakra through his chakra system, reopening his tenketsu, and effectively restoring some lost chakra, not to mention scaring the hell out of everyone in the general vicinity. Not because it was Kyubi's chakra, but because such a large amount of chakra just pulsated from Naruto very quickly.

"What? Again?" Neji said in disbelief. "Damn…"

'_Impressive, Naruto…_' Kurenai thought. '_It seems he's improved his control over the Kyubi's chakra…_'

'_Hoho! The flames of youth burn powerfully inside of Naruto! Impressive!_' Gai thought. Everyone else that was spectating was in equal shock.

"Hehe… I love that trick." Naruto said with his trademark grin. "Never gets old…"

"Impressive, Naruto…" Neji said, recovering from his shock.

"Isn't it, though?" Came Naruto's voice from behind him. The Naruto in front of him disappeared and a kunai appeared at his neck.

"Wha--" Neji gasped in shock. '_Damn… While I was surprised, Naruto snuck up behind me!_'

"That trick never gets old, either." Naruto said with a grin.

Neji smirked. "If you like that trick, you'll love this one…" Neji disappeared with a _poof!_

"What?" Naruto said in shock. '_Kage Bunshin!_' He turned to Hinata. "Hinata! Behind you!"

Hinata turned around while and dispatched the Tenten clone under her kunai. Tenten was behind her! She jumped back, towards Naruto, as Tenten threw shuriken and kunai at her. As she landed, Hinata jumped to the right and threw a kunai at Tenten, Naruto mimicking her, jumping to the left. The kunais hit their mark and Tenten disappeared again. '_Another Bunshin!_' Naruto and Hinata both thought, raising their guard. Neji jumped out and engaged Naruto, while Tenten appeared and threw weapons at Hinata. Hinata watched her movements and saw that Tenten was preparing to throw her next set of weapons with her right hand, so Hinata was prepared to jump to her right to dodge. As predicted, Tenten threw several kunai with her right hand, and Hinata jumped to her right to dodge. Tenten smirked.

"Neji! Now!" She yelled. Neji smirked and Naruto dispatched him, revealing him to be yet another clone. Neji reappeared with amazing speed and sent a punch to Naruto's abdomen, sending him flying towards Hinata. Hinata, being in midair, was unable to dodge Naruto, and he was moving so fast that she couldn't react in time to catch him. Inevitably, Naruto flew straight into Hinata and they both tumbled to the ground. When they stopped, they were not in the most comfortable of positions.

Naruto was in his back, while Hinata was on top of him, their faces inches from each other.

"Umm… H-hello, Hinata-chan…" Naruto said quietly, blushing like crazy. He couldn't help but notice that Hinata's very well endowed…assets were against his chest.

Hinata's current blush made all of her past blushes look pink. "N-Naruto…kun…" She managed before she jumped up and began to frantically apologize. "I-I'm so sorry! I-I…" Naruto just lay there, looking dazed.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kiba was rolling on the floor laughing. "Oh, my God… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That was good! Ha…" Sakura was laughing as well. "**CHA! Nice move, Hinata!**" Inner Sakura cheered. Lee was shouting something about the power of youth and love, and Shino looked unphased, but underneath his collar he was smirking. Kurenai smirked. '_I'm surprised Hinata hasn't passed out yet…_' Gai smiled and muttered, "Ahh… Young love…" Kakashi was smiling under his mask. "Nice, Naruto…"

Naruto recovered and heard all of the spectators' comments. He jumped up and pointed at them. "AHH! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! I-IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! SHUDDUP, DOG-BREATH! AND KAKASHI-SENSEI, I'M NOT A PERVERT LIKE YOU AND ERO-SENNIN!" He shouted.

"**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**" Kyubi laughed hysterically. "**Damn, that was a good one! Nice, kid!**"

'_AHH! I DIDN'T DO THAT ON PURPOSE! SHUT UP, FURBALL!_' Naruto shouted in his mind.

"**You know you enjoyed it. The feeling of her--**"

'_SHADDUP! NOT YOU, TOO! IT'S BAD ENOUGH WITH TWO PERVERTED SENSEIS! I DON'T NEED A PERVERT IN MY HEAD!_'

"NEJI! I'LL KILL YOU!" Naruto yelled at the Hyuga prodigy. Neji faltered slightly at the feeling of so much killing intent directed at him. Naruto disappeared with a flicker and appeared behind Neji and Tenten, along with several clones. The cloned surrounded the two and sent punches flying at them with amazing speed. They were only just managing to dodge the blows. Eventually, they couldn't keep up, and a clone grabbed each of them from behind.

"Let's see how you like this little prank, you two!" Naruto said with a mischievous grin. Neji's eyes widened in fear.

'_H-He wouldn't…_' He thought frantically. "N-Naruto! Don't you dare do what I think you're going to do!" He shouted in fear and shock.

"Oh, but I am!" Naruto said in delight. "You know you want to, Neji. I bet you dream about it…"

"N-NARUTO!"

"Tenten, don't be too rough with him." Naruto said, on the verge of laughter.

"What do you--!" Tenten didn't get to finish as she was shoved violently towards Neji, and vice-versa, and Neji's prediction came all too true.

They collided and their lips met.

Both of their eyes shot open in shock as they registered what happened, both blushing like crazy. After a few moments, Tenten promptly fainted and fell to the ground. Neji just stood there with a dazed look.

Naruto, Sakura, Lee, and Kiba burst out in laughter, while Kurenai and Hinata settled for giggling softly. Shino smirked again and Gai once again smiled and muttered something about young love. Kakashi smiled under his mask again and muttered another, "Nice one, Naruto…" '_I bet he's just disappointed he didn't get a kiss from Hinata… Hehehe…_' He thought with a perverted giggle.

"Alright, Neji, now let's end it! Hinata!" Naruto shouted. Hinata stood up and nodded. It was time to put Naruto's plan into action. Hinata got into a familiar stance that Neji seemed to favor when facing Naruto. "_Jukenpo: Hakke Rokujuyon Sho_!" She said, running up to Neji and sealing his tenketsu, and delivering the final blow, sending Neji flying back to Naruto. Naruto sent Neji flying in the air with a kick. A Naruto clone appeared above Neji, put its hands together in a ball, and pounded Neji back towards earth. Hinata ran up and punched him, sending him flying in an arc towards three Naruto clones that sent him skywards again with simultaneous kicks. Then both Naruto and Hinata jumped into the air (using Naruto clones as springboards), flipping and both sending a punch towards Neji's stomach (if it wasn't a sparring match, Hinata would have done a powerful Juken blow). As the punches connected, both Naruto and Hinata yelled, in unison, "_Buntai Dageki: Naruto-Hinata Rendan_!" Neji flew towards the ground and landed with a massive impact, leaving a crater and an unconscious Neji in the ground. Naruto and Hinata landed cleanly on the ground, standing next to each other.

"Well, since both combatants are unconscious, Naruto and Hinata win!" Gai shouted in delight. "The fire of Konoha burns brightly within these youth!"

"Congratulations, Naruto-kun, Hinata-chan!" Lee yelled in delight.

"That was pretty cool!" Kiba said in awe. "Nice!"

"Impressive, Naruto, Hinata." Shino said.

"Impressive teamwork, you two." Kurenai commented.

"Yes, and nice technique. You seem to have integrated your _Naruto Rendan _with Hinata's Juken. Impressive." Kakashi added.

"Yeah, it was pretty damn cool, wasn't it, Hinata-chan?" Naruto said to Hinata, giving her his trademark grin while scratching the back of his head. "You were awesome!"

"Th-thank you, Naruto-kun…" Hinata said shyly, blushing.

"Naruto-kun, can you make a variation for you and me?" Lee asked eagerly.

"I wish to try that out as well, Naruto." Shino said as well.

"Well, I was thinking about it, but for right now, I only thought up something for Hinata-chan and I…" Naruto said sheepishly. "But we can work on something later, if you want."

"That would be splendid, Naruto-kun!" Lee said with delight.

"Very well." Shino agreed.

"Well, very well fought, you two." Kakashi said. "Go take a break."

"Nice mach, guys." Sakura said. "I liked it."

"Thanks, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said with a grin. Sakura then came between them and put an arm around both of their shoulders.

"So, Naruto, how was it with Hinata on top of you?"

Hinata promptly fainted.

* * *

A/N – Hehe… Sorry for the late update. I know how you guys hate late updates, so I'm really sorry. The main problem I had was the fight scene. This is like the 17th draft of that scene. It would always come out too short or not good enough for my tastes. I only want the best for my readers. I'll try to do better with updating the next chapter. Anyway, here's chapter 6, in all its glory. Lots of action and some NejiTen fluff for you NejiTen fans in the audience. I know the NaruHina moment wasn't the most original moment, but I like it. Come on! Who doesn't? And I know the _Naruto-Hinata Rendan_ isn't the most original thing either, but I put my own spin on it, and, besides, it's badass. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I know I did!


	7. Looming Threat

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

I just returned from my grandparents' house down in good ol' Alabama, and now I'm haulin' ass to get this chapter done. Gotta keep you guys up to date. A happy reader is a faithful reader, after all. Anyway, sorry for the wait; here's Chapter 7!

Also, I would like to take this time to thank you, the readers, for staying with me through the story, despite my late updates. My story has now gotten more than 100 reviews, and it's all thanks to you guys, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Hearing you guys praise my work makes it all worth it. When I'm feeling down, you guys make me laugh. When I've done something wrong, you guys help me improve. I wouldn't have gotten this far without you guys. Once again, thank you!

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

_**Chapter VII – Looming Threat**_

"You fool."

"Geez, I'm sorry already…"

"That's the third time you've been spotted. Stop fooling around and pay attention."

"You're so unforgiving, Itachi…"

"And you're such a fool, Kisame."

"It won't happen again."

"Indeed. We must remain hidden, or they may realize what we're planning."

"Heh, I don't think they're that smart. Even if they do notice us, they won't realize what the plan is."

"You underestimate them."

"And you worry too much."

"I am cautious. One mistake can ruin a mission. All shinobi know that. You are the fool."

"Whatever…"

X-X-X-X-X

"Whew, I'm hungry…" Naruto groaned.

It was around one o'clock, and the group was thoroughly exhausted. Kiba and Shino managed to defeat Sakura and Lee, but afterwards, the Jonin decided to join in, and from there it wasn't much of a fight. They managed to give them a good fight, but their experience was just too much. Now everyone was resting.

"Yeah… Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, and Gai-sensei are really strong…" Sakura said.

"Well, let's take a lunch break, everyone." Kakashi suggested from behind his book. "I'm kinda hungry myself."

"Alright, you're all dismissed today." Kurenai said. "See you all tomorrow." And with that, the Jonin left.

"Well, what should we do for lunch?" Tenten asked. She was deliberately avoiding any kind of contact with Neji, who was doing the same.

"How about ramen?" Naruto said energetically.

"It's always ramen with you…" Sakura sighed.

"Well, I actually agree with the idiot on this. I kinda feel like ramen myself." Kiba said. Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Yes, ramen does sound good right about now." Lee agreed.

"I have no objections." Neji nodded.

"I would join you as well." Shino said.

"Boys…" Tenten sighed.

"Let's go, Tenten, Hinata…" Sakura said.

"Alright! Ramen on me! How about it?" Naruto shouted happily.

"Woohoo!" Kiba and Lee jumped up in joy. "Race you to Ichiraku!"

"You can't beat me!" Naruto said. Naruto, Kiba, Lee, and, surprisingly, Shino, lined up for a race.

"You're going to race, too, Shino?" Naruto asked.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Naruto. He just wants to see if you're faster than him." Kiba said. "He's testing you."

"Hmm…" Naruto mumbled. "Whatever."

"Alright, boys." Tenten said. "Three, two, one, GO!"

X-X-X-X-X

"Damn…" Kiba muttered under his breath. He finished last, and after all that hype, too.

"You lose, Kiba." Naruto said. "I thought you said you were fast?"

"Shut up, Naruto…" Kiba said in defeat. "Let's just eat."

As it turned out, Naruto, Lee, and Shino were about just as fast as each other, until Lee decided to kick it up a notch and leave all of them in the dust. Naruto barely came in second, which left Shino to come in third, and Kiba, last.

"Hey, guys." Came a voice from inside the ramen stand. They walked inside and saw Choji and Shikamaru sitting on stools, getting ready to eat. "Good timing. We just got here, so we can all eat together."

"Cool." Naruto said. "Neji's coming, too."

"What is this? Some kind of 'guy's night' or somethin'?" Shikamaru asked sarcastically.

"Hmm… I guess you could call it that…" Kiba said.

They all sat down and ordered as Neji walked in and took a seat. They all talked about various things while waiting for their ramen to arrive.

"What's wrong, Shino?" Kiba asked as their ramen arrived. "Don't like ramen?"

"I've never tried it before." Shino answered simply.

"What?" Naruto and Choji gasped. "You have to try it! It's the most wonderful food in the world!"

"Geez, calm down, you two…" Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome…"

"Just try it, Shino." Kiba said. Shino nodded and took a bite.

"…" Everything went quite as everyone watched Shino.

"Well?" Lee asked.

"…" Shino looked up. "It's…good." Shino took another bite. "Very good." Another bite. "It's delicious."

"Wow…" Kiba said in shock. "Old man, that must be some damn good ramen…"

"Hehehe…" Teuchi chuckled. "Only the best for my best customer and his friends!"

Shino continued to eat at a quick pace. Not like a Naruto or Choji pace, but fast while still being humane. Meanwhile, Naruto, Lee, Choji, and Kiba were engaged in an eating contest, scarfing down ramen at an alarming pace. Neji and Shikamaru just watched silently as they at their ramen like normal humans.

"Who do you think will win?" Neji asked.

"Hmm… Tough choice between Naruto and Choji, but Lee has been known to be quite an eater as well." Shikamaru replied. "But I guess I'll put my bet on Choji."

"Hmm… I think Naruto will win."

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"Just a hunch…" Neji said vaguely.

"Whatever…" Shikamaru replied lazily.

All four teens continued to inhale bowl after bowl until, surprisingly, all of them gave in at the same time, after 21 bowls. They all leaned back against the bar and gave out a satisfying sigh.

"Ahh… Much better…" Naruto said satisfactorily.

"Looks like we all tied…" Kiba said. "Nice…"

"Twenty-one bowls, guys!" Teuchi said happily. "I believe that's a new record…"

"Hehe… Leave it to Konoha's finest!" Naruto said. Choji, Lee and Kiba whooped in agreement.

Shikamaru smirked. "Well, now that you're done, what should we do?"

"I dunno…" Naruto frowned.

"Who do you guys have your eyes on?" Choji asked from out of the blue.

"Huh?" The others (excluding Shino) grunted, confused.

"I believe he means he wants to know which girls you guys have a particular interest in." Ayame explained.

"Wha-?" Naruto said, blushing lightly (not unlike some of the others, as Neji and Shikamaru both blushed as well).

"It's just an innocent question, guys…" Choji said.

"Err…" Neji mumbled.

"Uhh…" Shikamaru muttered.

"Sakura is my one true love!" Lee suddenly shouted, jumping up and pumping his fist.

"Forget about it, Lee…" Naruto said. "She's dead set on Sasuke…" Naruto said sadly.

"Are still upset about that?" Kiba asked.

"No. I gave up on her when we started that mission three years ago." Naruto said. "I'm just upset about Sasuke…"

"Oh…" They all just sat there in awkward silence. Ayame took it upon herself to break it.

"Umm… Well, Choji, since you asked, who do have in mind?" She directed at Choji.

"Me?" Choji replied. "I think…Ino." He answered simply, without even blushing.

"What? How can you say that with a straight face?" Kiba asked.

"Because, unlike you guys, I'm not embarrassed or afraid of admitting it. You guys are just afraid that you'll be humiliated if you tell. If you truly love someone, then, no matter how much you are humiliated, you would still admit it. That's what real love and devotion is." Everyone else just sat there, shocked by Choji's words.

"My my…" Teuchi said, apparently impressed. "Choji, my boy, you're very right. You guys should listen to him. He's very mature for his age."

"Yeah. I won't laugh if you tell." Choji said.

"Nor will I!" Lee agreed.

"I won't either." Naruto said. "Except at Neji and Shikamaru."

"Eh? Why us?" Shikamaru asked angrily.

"Because you guys will never admit it, 'cause no one will never let you live it down!" Kiba said. Apparently Naruto and Kiba knew who Neji and Shikamaru had in mind.

"Yeah." Naruto said, snickering. "We know you got the hots for that Suna girl, Gaara's sister."

"Wha-!" Shikamaru stuttered, blushing.

"And from that demonstration today, Neji, I'd say you're more than friendly with Tenten." Kiba added.

"H-hey!" Neji stuttered, blushing as well. "That was Naruto's fault!"

"You know you enjoyed it…" Naruto said slyly. "I was just doing you a favor."

"Sh-shut up!"

"Well, whatever." Kiba said, smirking. "Honestly, I really don't have anyone in mind right now…"

"What about you, Shino?" Naruto directed at the insect shinobi.

"…" Shino stayed silent. "Yes, but I feel it unnecessary to disclose who that person is, as that is hardly any of your business."

"Fair enough, bug boy…" Naruto sighed. "I guess it's enough to just know that you are, in fact, attracted to someone."

"Which leaves you," Shikamaru said. "…the only one who has yet to tell us who you like."

"If you don't like Sakura anymore, then who _do_ you like?" Choji asked.

"Hmm…" Naruto sat and pondered a bit. "I dunno…"

Kiba, Lee, and Neji saw this as a chance to see if he felt anything towards Hinata. Neji, because he was family; Kiba, because he was her teammate (no, he's not jealous); and Lee, because, hell, he's Lee (and that's why we love him). "Really? What about Hinata?" Kiba asked.

Naruto blushed. "W-what?"

"I mean, you've been hanging out with her a lot lately…" Kiba added slyly.

"I-it's only been two days!"

"You did team up with her…" Lee said, smiling.

"I-it was because I had an idea!" Naruto argued.

"You did have her on top of you…"Neji added, smirking.

"TH-THAT WAS YOU'RE FAULT!" Naruto yelled in contradiction.

"Hmm…" Neji mumbled, still smirking.

"Whatever, Naruto." Kiba said. "We just thought, you know, because of these _strange_ coincidences, that, maybe, somethin' was goin' on…"

"W-well, you're wrong." Naruto said defensively. "Hinata-chan and I are just friends."

"Which reminds me…" Kiba said. "What's with the 'Hinata-_chan_'?"

"What? I can't refer to Hinata with a friendly term without people jumping to conclusions?"

"No, I was just asking…" Kiba snickered.

"Whatever… It's not like I could even if I wanted to…" He said quietly, thinking about Kyubi. Who would want to love a monster like him? The 'Demon'?

"Why not?" Choji asked, curious. Naruto jumped. He hadn't meant for them to hear that.

"U-uhh… W-well, I mean, she's the heiress, or whatever, to the Hyuga clan, right?" He said nervously, making up an excuse. "Being an heiress to such a powerful clan probably means she isn't allowed to be involved with people like me. She probably will have an arranged marriage, or somethin'…"

Neji was a little surprised that Naruto had such a good grasp of clan politics. "This is true." He said.

"Wow, Naruto…" Kiba said, a little surprised as well. "I didn't expect you to understand something like that…"

"Combat and jutsus weren't the only thing I learned while I was away." Naruto said, annoyed. "Ero-Sennin made me study, too. A Hokage has to know these things, you know?"

"Hmm…" Kiba grunted. "Whatever…"

"I believe it is about time we left." Shino said, standing up. "However, I did enjoy my time with you guys."

"As did I." Neji agreed.

"And I!" Lee agreed enthusiastically.

"Me, too." Kiba also agreed.

"Yeah, this was fun!" Choji also agreed happily.

"Heh, I guess it wasn't that troublesome…" Shikamaru smirked. (That was his way of saying he enjoyed it, as well…)

"Yeah…" Naruto smile happily. He really enjoyed hanging out with his friends. "We should do it again…"

"We should." Neji agreed.

"Today is Saturday, no?" Le asked. "How about, from now on, we all meet here for dinner on Saturdays, once a week?"

"Sounds good." Kiba said.

"Mm-hm!" Choji agreed.

"Alright! See you guys next week." Naruto said, standing up to pay the bill. "But next week, we pay our own bills…"

"Agreed." Shino said, taking his leave.

"Very well." Neji said, leaving.

"Bye, Naruto-kun!" Lee said enthusiastically.

"Guess it's just us, now…" Shikamaru said lazily. "Let's go rest and look at the clouds."

"Alright." Choji agreed.

"Sure, why not?" Kiba said. "I'm kinda worn-out…"

"You comin', Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, sure." Naruto replied, smiling. He was happy, because he was with his friends.

And he would soon find out that they always would be.

X-X-X-X-X

"Itachi…" Came a creepy voice. The aforementioned Uchiha turned around and looked at the rising figure emotionlessly.

"What is it, Zetsu?" He asked monotonously.

"I bring news about Konoha."

X-X-X-X-X

"Kisame."

The tall sword master turned toward his partner. "What is it, Itachi?"

"We leave for the base." He said. "We must prepare."

"Why? For what?" Kisame asked, confused.

Itachi turned around and said, emotionlessly, "One week from today, we shall launch an attack on Konoha."

* * *

A/N – Yo, peoples. Sorry for the late update. I was at my grandparents' house, and my laziness got the better of me. That's the only excuse I got. I promise the next update will be sooner, 'cause I _really_ want to get through the rest of the story! I wanna know what happens, as I'm sure you guys do, too. Anyway, this chapter is more a filler chapter than anything else, and it's kinda short, but I wrote it for 2 reasons: First, to advance the darker side of the plot dealing with Akatsuki and their goals. Just so you guys now, the first arc of this story is coming to a close. 1 or 2 more chapters until Akatsuki come into the scene, and that _can't_ be good. Second, I wrote this chapter to set up a secondary theme for this story, and that is kinda like a weekly 'guys night', where the guys from the 12 main characters meet up at the Ichiraku and discuss various things. They're going to have humor and character development more than anything. I thought it would be cool if all the guys got together every once in a while and just hung out. Me and my friends do it, so why not Naruto and the guys? Tell me what you think.

Anyway, I wonder who Shino has in mind. I _really _want to know. Wait, I'm the bloody author! Shouldn't I know things like this? Still, I really don't know… Well, it's something we'll find out later. And how about what Naruto said, when he was pointing out why he and Hinata couldn't have a relationship. That thought had occurred to me, and those questions, and more, will be answered in the sequel. Oh, yeah, I have a sequel planned for this story, so, even when it's over, it ain't over. Well, enough rambling. See you guys next chapter!


	8. Preparation

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 8! Yay! Told you I'd get it out sooner. None of the stories on my alert list have been updated lately, so I find myself turning to my own fic for entertainment. Besides, Not only do I enjoy it, but so do you guys, so everyone wins.

And have some faith in me! After writing so much already, do you really think I'd quit? Hells no. This fic will be finished, come hell or high water. But hopefully it will be neither, 'cause hell is too hot, and it's hot enough down here already, and high water would damage my computer, which would be very bad.

Seems a couple of you like the idea of a possible ShinoHana pairing. For those of you who don't know, Hana is Kiba's older sister. I'll keep that in mind, but if anyone else has an idea, let me know. Hikaru suggested Ayame, but I'm still open for ideas.

And just wait 'till we get to the second arc. I got some really good stuff planned.

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

_**Chapter VIII – Preparation**_

"Thank you."

"Your welcome, Hokage-sama." Shizune said before leaving.

'_Great… Just what I need…_' Tsunade thought grimly, hands on her temple. She could feel a big headache coming. "This isn't good…"

Apparently, Akatsuki had been spotted near the village, and that was never a good thing. What could they be doing? For bad or for worse, Akatsuki was on the move, and they were planning something.

"_Sigh…_ Kotetsu! Get in here!" Tsunade yelled, followed by the entrance of said shinobi.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" He asked.

"Get me Hatake Kakashi and that pervert, Jiraiya."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

X-X-X-X-X

"Hey, Naruto." Came a voice from behind our favorite blonde shinobi. Naruto and Hinata put down their chopsticks and turned to face the person.

"Hmm?" Naruto grunted. "Oh, Ero-Sennin! What's up?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Can't you show just a little respect? I am one of the Legendary Sannin…"

"So? You're still a pervert."

"You really shouldn't say things like that around your girlfriend." Jiraiya smirked. Hinata blushed and looked away. Naruto blushed as well.

"Sh-she's not my girlfriend!" Naruto exclaimed. "Anyway, what do you want?"

"Oh, yeah!" Jiraiya exclaimed, remembering his reason for finding Naruto. "Here." He said as he handed him a small, square sheet of paper.

"Uhh… What's this for?" Naruto asked, looking confused.

"You're getting to the age where you need to start concentrating on a certain element to center your jutsus around. This sheet of paper will tell you what element your chakra has an affinity for. All you have to do is apply some chakra to the paper." Jiraiya explained. "If the paper splits in half, your chakra has an affinity for wind. If it burns up, your chakra has an affinity for fire. Soaks up for water, crumples for lightning, and turns to dust for earth. Understand?"

"Hmm… I guess so…" Naruto replied.

"Since you're here, Hinata, you can try it, too, if you want." Jiraiya directed at the Hyuga heiress.

"S-sure…" She replied shyly, taking a sheet of paper.

"Alright, just apply some chakra to the paper and…" Naruto and Hinata focused s little bit of chakra to the paper. The results were instantaneous.

Naruto's split in half, while Hinata's soaked up with moisture.

"Hoho! It appears your chakra has an affinity for wind, while our young lady's has an affinity for water." Jiraiya said. "Very appropriate, I say."

"Wind, huh?" Naruto said, and then smiled. "Cool!"

"From now on, Naruto, you should study jutsus of the wind element. It will be easier for you to learn and you will be able to control and perform them better. As for you, Hinata, I would suggest doing the same, but with water-based jutsus." Jiraiya said.

"So does this mean you're gonna teach me some new jutsus?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Well…" Jiraiya started.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Came a voice from out side the ramen stand. Kotetsu walked in a moment later. "Hokage-sama wishes to see you."

"Tsunade? About what?" Jiraiya asked.

"She didn't say. All she said was it was very urgent."

"Urgent…" Jiraiya pondered for a moment before he came to a conclusion. "I'll be there shortly."

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama!" He said, and then left.

"Well, I guess not today, Naruto." Naruto's head dropped in disappointment. "I'll see you later. Enjoy your date!" He said as he left.

"Grr… Stupid Ero-Sennin…" Naruto growled. "Oh, well…" He sighed. "Let's go, Hinata. I'll pay."

"Oh… Th-thank you, Naruto-kun." Hinata said quietly, blushing slightly. She was slightly disappointed when he denied the fact that she was his girlfriend, but her spirits lifted after Jiraiya's remark; Naruto hadn't denied the fact that they were on a date. He hadn't confirmed it either, but Hinata was trying to be optimistic. They got up and headed for the training grounds.

X-X-X-X-X

Hinata was sitting down, leaning against a tree, resting from some practice her and Naruto had been doing. Naruto was doing the same thing, except he was upside-down, using chakra to hang from a branch, parallel to Hinata.

Hinata looked up at Naruto sitting directly above her. She noticed he looked slightly troubled. "Umm… I-is something wrong, Naruto-kun?" She asked.

"Huh?" He grunted. "Oh… I…I was just thinking about Sasuke…"

"Ohh…" Hinata remained quiet. She didn't want to but into his personal business.

"I was just wondering what elements other people had an affinity for, and then I thought of Sasuke, and…" He sighed. "Sorry, it just brings back some painful memories…" Naruto wondered what drove him to tell Hinata this. He couldn't figure it out; he just felt comfortable telling Hinata. He just felt that she would listen and understand.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize, Hinata-chan. It's not you're fault… If anyone's to blame, it's me."

"D-don't say that, Naruto-kun." Hinata said, saddened that Naruto blamed himself so much. "I know that you did you're best… B-because, you always do… And I know Sakura-chan knows that to. She told me that she was more worried about you when you came back from that mission three years ago. She doesn't blame you, either."

"Yeah, but… I mean, I was so close that last mission, but I still let him escape…"

"That's not your fault, either, Naruto-kun… I believe that Sasuke-kun is just a little lost. He doesn't know what he should do. He believes that Orochimaru may be the fastest and best way to get stronger, but…I know you can get him to realize that he's wrong, because…because I believe in you…" Hinata said with a blush.

"Hinata-chan…" He said, looking at Hinata with a surprised and respectful look. "Thanks… Your right. I promised I'd get him back, and I never go back on my word! That's--"

"Your ninja way." Hinata finished for him. "I know…"

"Hehe… Thanks, Hinata-chan." Naruto smiled. Hinata blushed.

"Umm… N-no problem, Naruto-kun…"

"I was also thinkin', that your affinity for water is really appropriate, Hinata-chan."

"R-really?"

"Yeah!" Naruto said confidently. "I mean, you're pure and graceful, just like water, and very gentle, yet you can be unwavering and powerful. Just like water!"

"Ohh…"Hinata was touched by Naruto's words. He could be romantic if he really tried. "Th-thank you…"

"It's true!" Naruto grinned.

"I-I think your affinity for wind is very fitting, as well, Naruto-kun." Hinata said. "You're steadfast and strong, like a strong wind, and unchangeable and unpredictable, and true to your path. Just like the wind…"

"…Thanks, Hinata-chan. You've really made me feel better." Naruto said happily. Hinata smiled shyly and blushed in response.

"Naruto, Hinata." Came a calm monotone that they instantly recognized. The enigmatic Shino walked up to the two relaxing shinobi.

"Hello, Shino-kun." Hinata greeted politely.

"Hey, Shino." Naruto said.

"Mind if I join you?" Shino asked.

"Sure." Naruto replied. "Pull up some grass." Shino nodded and sat down next to Hinata, leaning against the tree. "Me and Hinata-chan were just talking about our chakra affinities."

"Naruto-kun has an affinity for wind, a-and I have an affinity for water." Hinata explained.

"Very appropriate." Shino said.

"Do you know what your affinity is, Shino?" Naruto asked.

"I have an affinity for earth." Shino replied.

"Haha! I couldn't agree more!" Naruto chuckled. "You're unmovable, unshakable, and emotionless, just like a rock!"

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should. I meant as much." Naruto said. "But I guess you do deserve some credit."

"Hmm…" Shino grunted.

They sat in silence. Naruto was lost in thought again when he realized that today was Thursday. Thursday, October NINTH. Tomorrow would be Friday, October TENTH; his seventeenth birthday. His face saddened and he sighed. His birthdays were the worst days of his life. The villagers would always picked on him. He decided he would just stay inside his apartment. He wondered what he would do to pass the time when he suddenly had an idea.

"Hey, are you guys doin' anything tomorrow?" He asked the two shinobi sting below him.

"Wha-? Oh… Uhh…" Hinata didn't know what to say. Tomorrow was the planned party for Naruto, but she wasn't sure what to do. Luckily, Shino was a quick thinker.

"No." He replied. "Why?"

"Well, I didn't really have anything planned tomorrow, so I was wondering if you guys wanted to stop by my place tomorrow. We can go train or somethin'…" He said nervously.

"Sure." Shino said. "Is that alright, Hinata?"

"Umm… S-sure." She replied. She trusted that Shino knew what he was doing. Naruto visibly brightened.

"Great! I guess we can work on our affinities or somethin'…"

"That sounds fine." Shino replied.

"Okay, sure." Hinata said.

Naruto smiled. '_Maybe this year won't be so bad… And maybe I can try and get Shino to spill the beans on his love interest… Hehehe…_'

­X-X-X-X-X

"You wanted to see me, Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi asked, walking into the Hokage's office. Jiraiya was waiting in front of her desk.

"Yes, Kakashi." Tsunade said, looking grim. "I have bad new for you two, unfortunately."

"What is it?" Kakashi asked, hoping against hope that it wasn't what he thought it was.

"It's Akatsuki. They were spotted near Konoha several days ago, and I fear that they're planning something." She said. Kakashi's fears were confirmed.

"Damn!" He muttered. "What to you suggest we do, Hokage-sama?"

"I want you to get the ANBU and other Jonin ready for a possible attack, while you, Jiraiya, will inform Naruto, as well as Nara Shikamaru, Hyuga Neji, and Aburame Shino. Understood?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi replied, taking his leave.

"Alright." Jiraiya said, looking grim. "I hope nothing happens…"

"Me, too, Jiraiya." Tsunade said sadly. "Me, too…"

X-X-X-X-X

"Come on, Shino! Tell me!"

"I won't laugh! I promise! I never go back on my word!"

"N-Naruto-kun, leave Shino-kun alone." Hinata said.

"_Sigh_… Alright, fine. But I'll get it out of you tomorrow." Naruto said.

"Naruto." Came Jiraiya's voice.

"Ero-Sennin?" Naruto said, confused. "Somethin' wrong?"

"I need to talk to you and Shino." He said grimly. "It's important."

"What about Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

"I'm afraid she'll have to wait here." Hinata looked worried. '_What's going on? Naruto-kun?_'

"Sorry, Hinata-chan…" Naruto said, jumping down from his perch.

"We'll be back shortly." Shino said, standing up.

"Over here." Jiraiya directed. They followed him to a clearing in the woods not too far from Hinata. Shikamaru and Neji were waiting there, looking confused and a little worried.

"Alright guys, I have some bad news…" Jiraiya said. Everyone there was listening intently. "It's Akatsuki. I assume you all know who I'm talking about?"

Shikamaru's look darkened. Neji looked a bit more stern. Shino remained stoic, but he was listening intently. Naruto's eyes widened in shock. '_Akatsuki? What are those bastards up to?_'

"They've been spotted recently, and I wanted you four to know, seeing as you all could be the four strongest shinobi of your age. Kakashi is preparing the other Jonin, but I'll leave it to you guys to prepare your respective teams. Don't tell them anything about Akatsuki; just get them prepared without arousing suspicion. Understood?"

"Yes." Neji said.

"Very well." Shino nodded.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru mumbled.

"Good, you're dismissed. Naruto, stay here a minute." Jiraiya said. When the others left, he turned to Naruto. "Are you okay?"

"…" Naruto was silent.

"Naruto?" Jiraiya asked worriedly. Naruto was never this quiet.

"Ero-Sennin… I'm…I'm afraid…" Naruto stuttered. Jiraiya was shocked. Naruto was this shaken up about it?

"What are you talking about?"

"I wasn't strong enough to bring Sasuke back. I wasn't strong enough to save Gaara. How can I possibly stand up to those bastards?"

"Naruto…" Jiraiya had never seen Naruto so unconfident in his own abilities. "Listen, you shouldn't take it upon yourself to take responsibility of this."

"But it's me their after! If they attack, it will be all my fault!"

"Naruto, it's not your fault! What can you do about it?"

"If I'm here then I put the whole village in danger! I put all of my precious people in danger!"

"Then stop whining and grow up!"

"I understand how you feel, but it's not your fault! You need to grow up and realize that there is nothing you can do about it. You need to get over it and face it. That's what a Hokage does." Jiraiya said. "And right now, you're not acting like a Hokage."

"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do if they attack, except fight. I love this village and everyone in it. I will stand and protect my village." Jiraiya said. "If you're too much of a coward to face the threat, then run. Run, and let your village fall to these monsters. All your precious people will die, because you were too afraid to face your fears. You need to stop dwelling in the past, Naruto. You need to realize that, just because you failed once, doesn't mean you'll fail again. You need to learn from your past failures and grow from those experiences."

"So, what are you going to do, Naruto?"

"…I…I…

"I'm going to fight." Naruto said, determination back in his eyes.

"That's what I wanted to hear."

"You're right, Ero-Sennin. I gotta move on and face them. 'Cause I'm gonna be Hokage, and defending this village is what I promised to do, and I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way." Naruto smiled. "Heh, those Akatsuki bastards won't get anything without a fight."

"And a damn good fight, too." Jiraiya said, smiling. "That's the Naruto I know."

"Ha! Bring it on, Akatsuki scum! Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage, is gonna kick your ass!" Naruto said confidently, pumping his fist.

"Alright, Rokudaime, now get back to your girlfriend and get ready. They could attack at anytime"

"Alri-- HEY! HINATA-CHAN'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"Whatever." Jiraiya smirked as he walked away.

X-X-X-X-X

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah, yeah, Itachi, geez…" Kisame sighed.

"And you two?"

"As long as Konoha's got plenty of money."

"You understand what my religion requires me to do, right?"

"Of course." Itachi replied. "Destroy Konoha to your heart's content."

"Very well. Let's go, Kakuzu."

"You and your damn religion, Hidan."

"Shut up, already!" Kisame exclaimed. "I seriously don't want to listen to you two bicker the whole two days to Konoha."

"Let's go." Itachi said. They turned and left for Konoha.

* * *

A/N – Hmm… Akatsuki is on the way. Watch out, Naruto! Next chapter is the big day! Naruto is turning 17! Yay! And what about Gaara? You bet your ass their gonna be at Naruto's super-badass party. Like I would forget Gaara. I'm a little nervous as to how that scene between Naruto and Jiraiya was. I wasn't sure if that was something Naruto would do. I'm a little afraid that you guys may not like that much. I was trying to express Naruto's worries about his past failures. Hope it was satisfactory. Anyway, next chapter is the last chapter in this arc, then Akatsuki appears and all hell breaks loose. Action? Plenty. Angst? Oh, yeah. Romance? You bet. And somewhere in between it all, Naruto's true power awakens. And a plot twist you weren't expecting that will have Naruto, Hinata, and Shino play a bigger role than you ever expected. Get ready.


	9. Party Time!

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

Party time! Woohoo! I'm gonna give Naruto the most badass party EVER! YEAH! And he's gonna get the most badass gift EVER! You'll see what I mean…

Sorry about the manga spoiler last chapter… It kinda slipped my mind…

If some of you are wondering why I chose Shino of all people to be included in my plot twist, it's because Shino is, simply, badass. Besides, I don't think Shino gets enough screen time. So, this is my way of showing my appreciation to our favorite insect shinobi. Yay, Shino! (throws Shino plushies)

**NOTE:** This chapter is rated '**F**' for 'Fluffy'. Also, readers who suffer from high blood pressure should not read this chapter due to high ramen content.

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

_**Chapter IX – Party Time!**_

"_Yawn…_" Naruto yawned as he got out of bed. He looked at the clock. 12:04. Well, it was his birthday, he could sleep in. Naruto got up and did his morning routine. As he finished his ramen, he headed toward the door. He looked around before he stepped out. You never could be too careful. '_Looks like the coast is clear… Alright, Shino told me to meet him at the Hokage monument for some reason. Well, guess I gotta take the long way…_' Naruto jumped down to the ground and rushed to the nearest alley. '_Good, no one saw me. Time to go._' He thought, taking all the alleys and back roads he knew to the Hokage monument.

X-X-X-X-X

It was 1:00. Shino stood in front of the Hokage monument, waiting for Naruto. He was just starting to wander where the blonde shinobi was when he heard a noise.

"_Psst_! Shino!" Came a whisper from below him. Shino looked down and saw Naruto hiding behind the ledge below the railing.

"Naruto?" He asked.

"Err… Look, don't worry about it. It's a long story." Naruto said nervously.

"Hmm…"

"Anyway, where are we going?"

"To the Hokage's office. We need to report in, like every other day."

"Oh… Hehe, yeah." Naruto said sheepishly. "Let's go."

X-X-X-X-X

"Are we almost done?" Tsunade asked hastily.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Sakura replied. "We're just finishing now."

"Alright, good. Shino should be here with him any moment."

"Done, Tsunade-sama!" Came Lee's voice. "We are ready!"

"Alright, everyone! Get ready!"

"Hokage-sama." Came a voice from the door.

"Yes?" Tsunade answered, turning around. "Can I--"

"I believe today is Naruto's birthday?" Came a voice from beside the first's.

"Ah! I'm glad you could make it!" Tsunade said happily. "I apologize for asking you to come all this way for this."

"It was no trouble." A third shinobi replied. "We wouldn't miss this. Naruto has done so much for us."

Shikamaru froze at the sound of that voice. '_It's…THAT woman!_'

X-X-X-X-X

Shino and Naruto arrived at the Hokage office. Shino stopped and turned to Naruto.

"What's up, Shino?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto," Shino said. "I would like to wish you a happy birthday."

"W-what?" Naruto said incredulously. He couldn't have heard that right.

"I said happy birthday, Naruto." Shino repeated. Naruto sat there in disbelief for moment.

"A-are you for real?" He asked nervously.

"Yes. It is your birthday, no?"

Naruto smiled. "Yeah…"

"Then let us go."

"Hey, Shino?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks." Naruto said happily. Shino nodded and a very small smile graced his lips.

"Of course. Comrades must care for each other. Now, let's go." Naruto, feeling ten times better, followed.

X-X-X-X-X

"Hello, can I help you?" The senbon-chewing Jonin, Genma, asked the two shinobi.

"We're here to see Tsunade-sama." Shino requested. Genma smiled when he saw Naruto.

"Ah… I see. She's in the meeting room. Right this way."

X-X-X-X-X

Akamaru's head perked up as he heard the oncoming footsteps and identified the scents of the approaching individuals. He barked in warning and Kiba turned to everyone. "He's coming!" Everyone turned in affirmation and found a hiding spot or used genjutsu to mask their presence while Tsunade shut of the lights.

"Alright…"

X-X-X-X-X

"Here we are." Genma said, stopping outside the large conference room. "She's in here."

"Thank you." Shino said, knowing what was on the other side. "Let's go, Naruto." Naruto nodded and followed Shino and Genma (who was holding back a smile) inside. When they stepped inside it was very dark. Naruto was confused.

"Uhh… Did you get the wrong room?" Naruto asked Genma.

"Nope." Came Tsunade's voice. Naruto jumped when the lights sprang on and everyone suddenly appeared and shouted, "SURPRISE!"

"Wha--" Naruto gasped in disbelief. There were orange banners all over the walls and a cake in the middle of the table, along with various other snacks and beverages, as well as plenty of ramen, catered by none other than old man Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame. Everyone was there, from the other teams in his graduating class to Gai's team to the respective senseis of those teams, as well as some of the other Jonin and Chunin, as well as someone Naruto was not expecting to see.

"Happy birthday, Naruto." Gaara said, holding out his hand and giving one of his small smiles. "It's good to see you again."

"G-Gaara?" Naruto gaped. "Everyone…" He turned to Tsunade and Jiraiya. "Th-this…this is real, right? I'm not dreaming, right?" He said, afraid this was all in his mind. All of the females present were heartbroken at Naruto's disbelief. Shino put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"This is very real, Naruto. Did you think we didn't care about you're birthday? Or maybe we didn't know or care?"

"Sh-Shino…" Naruto stuttered.

"I've said it before." Shino said. "Comrades must care for each other."

"Yeah, we would never forget your birthday, Naruto." Choji said.

"Th-this is real, Naruto-kun," Hinata said. "…so please…be happy…"

Something about what Hinata said clicked something inside Naruto. He started to smile and tears formed in his eyes. "Hinata-chan… Everyone…" He wiped his tears away and gave a true grin of joy. "Thanks…"

"No problem, kid." Jiraiya said. "Now, I believe this is a party, so let's party!"

"YEAH!" Naruto shouted in joy. Everyone gave a sign of agreement and the party commenced. Naruto walked over to where Teuchi and Ayame were and ordered some ramen.

"Comin' right up, Naruto!" Teuchi said happily. Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Lee, and Iruka joined him as they say down for some ramen.

"Happy birthday, Naruto!" Iruka said, patting the said blonde on the head. "Seventeen, huh? Man, time flies…"

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said as he hugged his former teacher.

"H-hey! It's nice to see you, too!" Iruka said as he was released. "I thought you would appreciate it if I got Ichiraku to cater for your birthday."

"Yeah! You're the best!" Naruto said as his ramen arrived.

"Naruto-kun! I challenge you to an eating contest!" Lee said, pointing his chopsticks at Naruto.

"Oh, yeah? You're on!" Naruto accepted. "But it's my birthday, so I'm not goin' easy on you!"

"You two think you're so tough? I can beat you both!" Kiba said. "Let's go!" Choji joined, too, and they started their eating frenzy.

X-X-X-X-X

Meanwhile, other party goers were going about their business.

"Atari." Shikamaru said, laying down his piece on the Go board. Ibiki looked for a move to make. Suddenly Shikamaru jumped under the table they were playing on.

"What the hell--!" Ibiki started.

"Shh! It's _that _woman! I'm not here!" Shikamaru hissed. Ibiki looked confused. Then the woman from Suna walked up to him.

"Have you seen a guy with a pointy ponytail, fairly tall, and a bored expression?" Temari asked. Ibiki was about to answer when he found he couldn't move. Suddenly his head shook against his will, indicating the negative. "Oh…" She said and walked off. Shikamaru released the Kagemane and took his seat.

"That was close…" Shikamaru sighed. Ibiki suddenly started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Having lady trouble?" He said, amused. Shikamaru just blushed and looked away.

X-X-X-X-X

Kankuro was with the Konohamaru Corps, showing them the finer points of using chakra strings, and their various uses in pranking. "You concentrate your chakra to the tip of your finger, and then project it in a thin line. The thin structure of the chakra makes it easier to manipulate and control, giving it many practical uses, such as…" He pointed his finger towards Shino, wrapping the string around his glasses in an attempt to remove them. Shino realized what was happening at the last second and grabbed his glasses before Kankuro could pull them off. He turned around and gave them a murderous glare. Kankuro turned around, slightly creeped out. "…But just be careful…"

"Cool!" Konohamaru said. "Let me try." He turned to Asuma, who was talking to Kurenai, and aimed his finger towards the cigarette in his hand. He managed to wrap it around the cigarette and he pulled. The cigarette fell and Asuma turned around, looking for it.

"Hey! That was my last one!" He said, looking for it on the ground. Kurenai smiled and looked at Konohamaru. He smiled and gave a thumbs up.

X-X-X-X-X

Genma, Izumo and Kotetsu were in a corner, gambling. "Alright, if I win, you gotta do all the work Hokage-sama tells me to do for me for a month." Kotetsu said.

"Fine, but I'll win, and then you have to do all of my work for me for a month." Izumo said. Genma just grinned and rolled the dice. When the die came to a stop, Kotetsu's and Izumo's faces dropped.

"Looks like I win." Genma said with a smile. "Guess you guys gotta do all my work for the next month." Kotetsu and Izumo growled and started quarrelling with Genma.

"Cheater!"

"No way!"

Tsunade saw the fight and walked over to the brawl. "What's going on here?" The three stopped and looked at the Hokage.

"Err… Nothing, Hokage-sama…"

X-X-X-X-X

Kakashi and Gai were over by the door, glaring at each other, neither moving. The tension was thick, both waited for a sign of movement. All of a sudden… "JANKEN!" They shouted. Kakashi held out his fist, while Gai held out two fingers. "Looks like I win, Gai. That puts the score at 234 to 233." Kakashi said non-chalantly. Gai fumed.

"Ah! Damn you, Kakashi, my eternal rival! We play again!" He said as they prepared for another round. Anko stood by mildly entertained. "JANKEN!" They roared, both holding up a flat palm, while a third hand held up two fingers.

"Looks like I win, boys!" Anko said happily. "I'll take those!" She said as she grabbed their dango.

X-X-X-X-X

Jiraiya was sitting in a corner, looking suspicious and jotting things down on a notepad. Neji walked up to him. "Jiraiya-sama, what are you doing?" He asked, confused.

"Taking notes." Jiraiya answered simply.

"Notes? About what?"

"The ladies, of course!" Jiraiya said looking up. "Oh! Neji, I've been meaning to speak to you."

"Hmm?" Neji looked confused. '_Is this really Jiraiya of the Sannin?_' Jiraiya leaned in close so nobody else would hear.

"So… Does that Byakugan come in handy?" He asked vaguely. Neji looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You know…" Jiraiya gave him a perverted grin.

"Huh?"

"Whenever you've gone to the hot springs, you've never used it to…you know…_observe_?" Neji's eyes shot open as he realized what Jiraiya was talking about.

"W-what?" He stammered as a blush appeared in his face. "O-of course not! As a Hyuga, I would never abuse our ability in such a way!"

Jiraiya looked skeptical. "Oh, come on. You're telling me you've never used your eyes to peek on that pretty teammate of yours?"

"W-WHAT!" Neji shouted as his face became completely crimson.

X-X-X-X-X

"Atari." Shikamaru said as he laid a piece down on the Go board. Ibiki was thinking about his next move when Shikamaru jumped under the table again as Temari approached.

"Are you sure you haven't seen the guy I told you about?" She asked, uncertain.

Ibiki grinned evilly and replied negatively as he rearranged some of the pieces on the Go board in his favor. Temari walked away and Shikamaru popped back in his chair. "Thanks…" He said, too flustered to realize he had been cheated.

"Of course." Ibiki said with a grin.

X-X-X-X-X

"Naruto." Came a voice behind the said shinobi. Naruto turned around and found Gaara standing there.

"Hey, Gaara!" Naruto said happily. "Glad you made it! Take a seat!" Gaara complied. "Want some ramen?" Naruto asked.

"What's ramen?" Gaara asked.

"Oh, no!" Naruto gasped. "Choji, we have another one!" Choji turned around.

"What!" He gasped. "One miso ramen deluxe, pronto!" Teuchi nodded and got to work. Gaara looked skeptical.

"It's just food…" He said.

"What?" Naruto said, looking insulted. "It's only the most delicious food EVER! You have to try some!"

"Hmm…" Gaara grunted. Teuchi served the ramen and smiled.

"Only the best, Kazekage-sama!" He said happily. Gaara picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

"How is it?" Naruto asked expectantly. Gaara looked up.

"It's actually very good." He said as he continued eating. When he finished that bowl, he handed it to Teuchi and asked for another. Naruto and Choji turned toward each other and grinned goofily, clasping hands in a 'high-five' gesture.

"Another soul saved!" Naruto said.

"Our work is done." Choji agreed.

X-X-X-X-X

Sakura, Ino and Tenten walked up to Hinata. "So, Hinata," Sakura started. "What did you get Naruto for his birthday?" Hinata blushed lightly.

"W-well…" She told them what her gift was. (You don't get to find out yet!)

"Oh!" Ino said with a dreamy look. "How romantic!"

"That's a great gift, Hinata." Tenten said.

"I got a better idea, though." Sakura said with an evil grin. Hinata looked confused. "If you wanna give him a gift he'll be sure to remember, then…" She whispered something something in Hinata's ear. After she finished, Hinata blushed a deep crimson. "How's that?"

"Umm… Uhh…" Hinata stammered.

"What did you tell her to do?" Ino asked.

"Well…"

X-X-X-X-X

"There you are!" Shikamaru froze at the voice.

'_Oh no…_' He thought, terrified. Temari appeared and grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him out of the chair.

"I've looked everywhere for you, you idiot!" She yelled at him.

"If you weren't so loud and troublesome, then maybe you wouldn't have had that problem." Shikamaru said sarcastically.

"Shut up, cry-baby. I need to talk to you." She said as she dragged him off.

"W-wait!" He choked as he managed to lay his piece down on the Go board before he was dragged away. Ibiki smirked at what just occurred, until he looked down at the Go board.

"What?" He said in disbelief. "Damn. I still lost…"

X-X-X-X-X

"Naruto!" Tsunade called. "Get over here! It's time for some cake!"

"Woohoo!" Naruto jumped up in anticipation. He joined everyone else at the table. Everyone crowded around and took a seat or stood near the table. "What do we do now?" Naruto asked. Tsunade remembered that he had never had a birthday and she smiled sadly.

"Now we sing you 'Happy Birthday'." She said. Naruto looked surprise.

"R-really?"

"Yeah." She said. "Well, shall we?" Everyone nodded and got ready.

"_Happy Birthday to you,_

"_Happy Birthday to you,_

"_Happy Birthday dear Naruto,_"

Naruto wiped away a tear at those words.

"_Happy Birthday to you._" They finished. Naruto smiled and wiped away another tear.

"Thanks guys." He said. "This really means a lot to me…" Jiraiya placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Happy birthday, kid." He said with a smile. "Now, how about some cake?" Naruto gave his trademark grin.

"Yeah!" He said happily. Shizune and Tsunade cut the cake and handed a piece to everyone. Everyone ate their cake eagerly.

"This is really good!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yeah, this is some damn good cake." Jiraiya agreed.

"Who made it?" Naruto asked. Tsunade smiled.

"Hinata did, actually." She said. Naruto turned to Hinata and smiled, causing said kunoichi to blush.

"This is really good, Hinata-chan!" He said. "It's as good as ramen!" Tsunade sighed at his tactlessness, but Hinata accepted the compliment with a deeper blush.

"Th-thank you, Naruto-kun." She said, giving a small smile.

"Gift time!" Kiba shouted, holding his gift above his head.

"Open mine first!"

"No, mine!"

"He should definitely open mine first!"

"Stop!" Tsunade shouted. "One at a time. And besides…" She handed Naruto her gift. "He's going to open mine first." Naruto grabbed the gift Tsunade handed and opened it. Inside was the traditional Hokage headgear. "If you're gonna be Hokage, then you gotta have the proper equipment." Tsunade said. "Happy birthday, brat."

"Thanks, Tsunade-ba-chan!" Naruto said happily, setting the headgear aside. After opening the rest of his gifts, some of which included free meal tickets for Ichiraku from Teuchi and Ayame, some jutsu scrolls from Kakashi and Jiraiya, a shogi board from Shikamaru, and some new weapons from Tenten, all that remained was Hinata's present. Hinata nervously handed him a small box. Naruto took it eagerly and opened the box.

Inside was a chain bracelet, with a small, rectangular ruby in the center. Naruto picked it up and admired its intricate craftsmanship. "This is really cool, Hinata-chan! Thanks!" Hinata blushed lightly at the praise.

"I-I thought it would suit you, because rubies symbolize happiness, courage, and…" She mumbled the rest with a deep blush.

"And what?" Naruto asked.

"And love, Naruto." Tsunade answered, smiling. "And I agree. It does suit you very well."

Naruto looked at Hinata with amazement and gratitude. "Wow! Thanks a lot, Hinata-chan!" Hinata blushed at the praise.

"Well, it's getting late, people." Tsunade said. "Time to go. Genma, Izumo, Kotetsu, clean up." Izumo and Kotetsu grumbled as Genma smirked and leaned back in his chair.

"You heard the lady." He said.

X-X-X-X-X

"Goodnight, Naruto." Tsunade said as Naruto left the Hokage office.

"Bye, Tsunade-ba-chan!" He said as he waved. "Thanks!" Naruto turned around and started walking towards the front gate. When he got there, he saw Hinata standing there. "Hey, Hinata-chan!" Hinata turned around at the sound of her name. "Why are you still here?" Hinata blushed.

"I-I just wanted to say goodnight…" She said shyly. Naruto smiled.

"Well, since your still here, I'll walk you home." He offered. Hinata blushed but nodded.

"O-Okay…" She agreed as she walked with Naruto toward the Hyuga compound. They walked in an awkward silence. Hinata was too shy to start a conversation and Naruto couldn't think of anything to talk about. All too soon (for Hinata), they arrived at their destination.

"Well, here we are." Naruto said. "I'll see you tomorrow, I guess. Goodnight, Hinata-chan." He said, turning around.

"G-goodnight, Naruto-kun…" Hinata said. She was silently arguing with herself if she should do what she wanted to do right then. Suddenly, Naruto turned back toward Hinata.

"Oh, Hinata-chan!" He said. "I just wanted to thank you for everything. Today…was the greatest day of my life." He said with a small smile. "Thanks."

"Oh…" Hinata said. "Y-your welcome, Naruto-kun…" As Naruto started to turn back around, she finally decided to do what she had been debating about doing. "Umm… N-Naruto-kun!" She said, her heart pounding against her chest.

"Yeah?" He replied, turning back towards her.

Hinata willed herself to move. She walked up to Naruto, stood on her toes, and quickly kissed him on the cheek.

"Happy birthday, Naruto-kun!" She said quickly, turning deep crimson and bolting for the front door of the compound before Naruto could respond.

Naruto just stood there in shock, blushing, his hand on the cheek Hinata had kissed. He stood there for a while, his mind completely blank from the shock of the event that just occurred.

And as Naruto finally turned to head home, a new emotion started to take residence in his heart.

* * *

A/N – HAHAHA! I've been waiting since Chapter 1 to do that. How's THAT for a birthday present? I wonder… What could this new emotion be? (note sarcastic tone) Like you haven't guessed yet. If you're wondering why Akatsuki didn't attack, it's because they decided to attack one week from Saturday, October 4, which means they would arrive in Konoha on Saturday, October 11. Did you really think I'd let those bastards ruin the badass party I made for Naruto?

I actually got the idea for Hinata's gift from a game. A ruby is an accessory you can get in the game, and its description is very similar to the description I used in this chapter. I wonder… Can anyone guess what game I got the idea from?

Well, the first arc of this story comes to a close. It was fun, fluffy, and funny, but now Akatsuki looms just around the corner, and all hell is gonna break loose. Violence breaks out, romance blooms, revelations are made, and old allies return as the fight to save Konoha begins, and somewhere in between it all, Naruto's true power awakens. The second arc begins with Chapter 10. Get ready.


	10. Calm Before the Storm

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

HELLS YEAH! Over 200 reviews! You guys ROCK! Thank you!

For those of you who guessed Tales of Symphonia (or any Tales game for that matter) as the origin for the Ruby, you are correct. Damn, I'm such a hopeless romantic…

This chapter is for the pairing lover in all of us. All pairings for this story are confirmed and finalized, including Shino's. All pairings that this story and its sequel have will be in this chapter.

As you may have noticed, I have added three new pairings. I had planned on adding IruShizu and KonoHana for a while, but I found inspiration for a LeeOC pairing in the form of a test. It was my Language Arts benchmark test, and there was a poem on it called "The Lotus Flower." When I saw "Lotus," I immediately thought, "Lee!" Then I read the poem, and I came up with a wonderful idea for a LeeOC pairing. It's gonna be great!

I also was inspired to include several more plot twists. You probably won't catch on until the sequel, but, trust me; none of you will be expecting it. But that's a long ways off. This is now.

It's time. For the action. The romance. The awakening.

You know, I'm a little nervous. I built up a lot of hype for these coming chapters, but…what if they're not up to expectations? AHH! THE PRESSURE! Wait, calm down… Self-doubt is the first step to breaking under the pressure. I just gotta be confident. Besides, even if it's not up to snuff, I shall write on!

ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

**_Chapter X – Calm Before the Storm_**

Gaara stood atop the wall surrounding Konoha, next to the East gate, staring into the rising sun. He stood in silence, brooding about the sense of impending danger his instinct had developed. He frowned. An ANBU on patrol appeared next to him.

"Is…something wrong, Kazekage-sama?" He asked. Gaara closed his eyes in a brooding manner.

"Something is coming…"

X-X-X-X-X

Naruto closed the door to his apartment, locked it, and made his way toward the ramen stand for lunch. He slept in, so it was already after noon. As he walked down the street, he spotted a familiar Hyuga girl. '_Hey, it's Hinata-chan!_' He than remembered the pervious night. He wanted to ask her about it, but, in a rare moment of insight, decided it would be best to leave the subject alone for right now. "Hey, Hinata-chan!" He said, waving and running up to her. Hinata turned around at the sound of her name.

"Oh, h-hello, Naruto-kun!" She said with a small smile. '_It's Naruto-kun! I…I wonder if he'll ask about last night… I hope not…_' Naruto stopped and felt his face warm up slightly.

'_Uhh… Did it get warmer all of a sudden?_' He thought, confused. He shook it off and smiled. "Hey, uhh…" Naruto started, looking anywhere but at Hinata. '_What's wrong with me?_' He thought. "Do you wanna get some ramen or somethin'?" He asked. Hinata swore she had just seen Naruto blush for some reason, but quickly put it in the back of her mind.

"S-sure." She replied with a small blush of her own, following Naruto as they made their way to the ramen stand. They arrived and found Shino, Iruka and Shizune there, as well, waiting for their ramen.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, Shizune-ne-chan, Shino!" Naruto said, greeting the said shinobi. They greeted him back as he and Hinata took a seat.

"Hey, Naruto, Hinata." Iruka said. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Grabbing some lunch!" Naruto said happily as he and Hinata ordered their ramen. Teuchi started preparing their order as Ayame brought Shino his ramen.

"Here you go, Shino-kun!" She said with a bright smile. Shino nodded and thanked her, grabbing his chopsticks. Naruto swung around at what he just heard. He got up and sat next to Shino.

"Is there something I can help you with, Naruto?" Shino said. Naruto smiled slyly.

"Shino-_kun_?" He said, nudging Shino with his elbow, sly grin still in place. "Now I see why you like the ramen so much…" Shino just ignored him and remained silent. Naruto sighed and returned to his seat between Iruka and Hinata. He turned to Iruka.

"So, Iruka-sensei… Why is Shizune-ne-chan here with you?" He asked.

"I could ask you the same question about Hinata." Iruka replied. Naruto blushed and turned away.

"Fair enough." He said.

X-X-X-X-X

Choji and Ino were walking through the center of Konoha, having nothing to do since all of Ino's shopping was done. "Where'd you reckon Shikamaru went?" Choji asked. Ino just shrugged.

"I dunno. It's not my job to keep up with the lazy bum. He just said he had to go meet someone."

"Oh…" Choji said thoughtfully. He had an idea, but decided to keep it to himself. "Well, it looks like it's about to rain. Wanna go grab somethin' to eat?" Ino turned to her teammate. She blushed very lightly to the point it was unnoticeable.

"Oh… Sure." She said. Choji started walking toward the East gate in the direction of their favorite BBQ restaurant. Ino sighed. She didn't remember when it started happening exactly, but she started having these weird feelings when she was around Choji.

Ino guessed it started shortly after the failed mission to retrieve Sasuke. When Shikamaru and Choji had disappeared that morning to leave for the mission, she had been shocked by Sasuke's betrayal and terribly worried for her teammates' safety. Shikamaru had come back relatively unharmed, but everyone else was a wreck, especially Choji. He had returned on the brink of death, and his condition only continued to worsen. Thankfully, he had recovered, and she had been overjoyed. She had nearly suffocated Choji when she hugged him when he woke up. Shortly after that, these strange feelings had appeared, and they had only strengthened over the years.

But she couldn't, for the life of her, figure out what these feelings were. She had figured it was some sort of affection for the bulky shinobi, but she hadn't thought anything of it at the time. Now however, she was beginning to second guess herself.

Could it be? Could this be--

"You comin'?" Choji asked, bringing Ino back to the real world. She nodded and followed him to the restaurant.

X-X-X-X-X

Lee stood at the entrance to the Hyuga compound. He was waiting for Tenten to get Neji, so they could go to the training fields. Tenten sure was taking her time. Lee had been waiting out here for more than ten minutes now. What was she doing? Lee sighed. He was tired of waiting, and bored. He dropped down and started doing one-handed push-ups to warm-up, seeing as how he had nothing better to do.

"Thirteen…fourteen…fifteen…sixteen…" Lee huffed as he continued his workout. "Sevent--!"

Suddenly, someone walked around the corner and tumbled over Lee's prone form. Lee shot up and crouched down next to the person who he had tripped.

"Ah! I am sorry! I did not mean to trip you! I should not have been training--"

"It's okay." The person said, picking herself up. She stood up and straightened her clothes, picking up the package she dropped. "I should be the one apologizing. I should've been watching where I was going."

Lee blushed lightly, partly from embarrassment, and partly because of the young woman in front of him. She was a fairly attractive girl, with a slim figure, much like many females of the Hyuga clan, but with visible curves. Like the rest of the clan, her eyes were silver and pupil-less, and her hair was black. Her hair was fairly long, reaching down to the bottom of her back, and it was pulled into a long ponytail, much like Ino's hair. She was wearing a traditional Hyuga kimono that most branch member females wear inside of the estate. She was around the same age as Lee, and a head shorter than him.

"Ah- It is okay, umm…" Lee started.

"Tsuki." She stated. "Hyuga Tsuki, of the branch house." She pointed to her forehead, where a black Konoha headband was visible, clearly hiding the curse mark from sight. This surprised Lee.

"You are a shinobi?" He asked.

"Yep!" She said, smiling widely. "Surprised?"

"Well…yes." Lee replied. Tsuki took up a thoughtful pose.

"Well, I guess it is kinda unusual…" She said. "I don't know many female branch members who actually partake in the shinobi lifestyle…" She smiled again. "But a life as a household maid really didn't suit me, so I became a shinobi with Hiashi-sama's permission."

Lee smiled. "I see. Good for you."

"Yeah, things have been getting better around here, ever since the Chunin Exams three years ago…"

"Yes, thanks to Naruto-kun, Hinata-san, and Neji-san." Lee said.

"You know them?" Tsuki asked, surprised.

"Yes." Lee replied. "Neji-san is my teammate, along with Tenten-san and Gai-sensei, and Naruto-kun and Hinata-san are good friends of mine."

"Hmm… I see…"

"If I may," Lee began, pointing toward the package in Tsuki's hand. "Why are you carrying that package?"

Tsuki gasped as her eyes widened. She slapped herself on the head. "Damn, I forgot! I'm supposed to get this to Hiashi-sama! I really need to go!" She said, running at top speed towards Hiashi's study. "I'll see you later!"

"Wait!" Lee said, catching up to her. "We will go much faster…" He picked Tsuki up, bridal style. "…like this!" He sped off, using his incredible speed to fly through the halls of the Hyuga estate and arrive at Hiashi's study in record time. Lee set a shocked Tsuki down and smiled.

"Th-that was amazing!" She managed.

Lee blushed lightly. "Thank you. I apologize if I went a little too fast…"

"No, it's okay…" Tsuki then smiled. "Thank you for your help."

"No problem!" Lee replied, giving his "nice guy" pose. Tsuki giggled at his antics and walked into Hiashi's study.

Hiashi was sitting at his desk, looking through various papers and scrolls, managing various documents and doing other such activities required of the clan head. He looked up when Lee and Tsuki entered.

"Here are the documents you requested, Hiashi-sama." Tsuki said, handing the package to Hiashi. Hiashi took it and looked at Tsuki.

"If I may, what took you so long?" He asked.

"Oh, well, I--"

"It was my fault, Hiashi-sama." Lee butted in. He bowed and righted himself again. "I accidentally tripped Tsuki-san in the halls, and engaged her in friendly conversation. I was unaware that she was running an errand. Again, please accept my apologies."

Hiashi raised his eyebrows briefly. "Is that all? It's quite alright, Lee-san, Tsuki-san. However, I would ask you to save the friendly chit-chat for after Tsuki-san has finished her duties."

"Of course, Hiashi-sama." Lee replied. "Thank you." Tsuki looked at Lee, surprised. He had handled that situation very well.

Hiashi then smiled gently. "Don't dwell on it. In my time, I've learned that many, if not all, things happen for a reason. Perhaps this is one of those moments." Lee and Tsuki gave him a questioning look. Hiashi smiled knowingly. "Don't dwell on it. You are dismissed. Tsuki-san, I have no more tasks for you, so you may have the rest of the day to yourself."

Tsuki bowed. "Thank you, Hiashi-sama." And with that, Lee and Tsuki exited the study.

Tsuki turned to Lee. "Umm… Thanks for your help back there, uhh…"

"Rock Lee." Lee replied.

"Lee." Tsuki smiled. "I didn't know you had such manners."

"Gai-sensei taught me. He always said that I should respect my elders and superiors."

"You must really look up to this 'Gai' person." Tsuki said.

Lee smiled. "He is a wonderful man! He is like a father figure to me, and I look up to him a lot."

"Hmm…"

"He is very strong and has taught me everything I know." Lee added.

"So you must know lots of Ninjutsu and stuff." Tsuki said. At this, Lee's head drooped and his smile faltered.

"Well… Actually, I am incapable of using any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu." Lee said. Tsuki's eyes widened in shock.

"R-really?"

"Yes…" Lee said. But then his head perked back up and his smile returned. "But Gai-sensei helped me overcome that and achieve my shinobi way: To be a splendid ninja, even without being able to use Ninjutsu and Genjutsu!"

"Really?" Tsuki asked. "So you use Taijutsu?"

"Yes."

"So you must be really good?"

"Yes!"

Tsuki smiled. "Well, then I think you are a splendid ninja already!" She declared. Lee stared at her. "I mean, to be able to overcome something like that and still be a ninja, let alone a skilled one, must me extremely tough. If you've already done that, then you're already more than just a splendid ninja; you're some sort of genius or prodigy!"

Lee stared in shock. Did she really think that? "Tsuki-chan, thank you." He said, smiling softly. Tsuki merely smiled her smile, which Lee was slowly growing to love.

"It's true!"

X-X-X-X-X

Tenten stood outside of Neji's room. She sighed. What was wrong with her! All she had to do was go in there and talk about it. Nothing too difficult, right? Apparently not, as Tenten had been standing outside the door for at least twenty minutes now.

'_Damn it! Come on, pull yourself together! All you have to do is go in there and ask a few simple questions. Then you and he can forget about it._' She thought to herself. Why was she having such a problem?

Tenten's dilemma revolved around that little prank Naruto had pulled on them during their sparring match almost a week ago. Ever since then, things had been awkward between her and Neji. Why should it be? It's not like they liked each other or anything…

But there is the problem.

Tenten loved Neji.

But what were Neji's thoughts on the incident?

All she had to do was ask. Was that so hard?

'_Just do it already!_' Tenten scolded herself. She took a deep breath and prepared to walk in when Neji walked out of the room and spotted her.

"Uhh… Tenten, what are you doing outside my room?" He asked. Tenten jumped back in surprise.

"N-Neji-kun! Ahh… I-it's nothing!" She stuttered. "I was just gonna ask… Uhh…"

Neji was feeling a little awkward. Ever since that incident during the sparring match…

Tenten braced herself. '_Here goes nothing!_'

"I…I was just wondering…you know…a-about that little incident that happened during the sparring match…"

Damn! That was not what he was hoping to hear. Crap. What now? "Oh… Umm, well…" Neji looked anywhere but at Tenten. "Let's just…forget about it. I mean, it's not like we like each other, or anything like that… Why should we let it affect us?"

Great. Just great. That wasn't really the response she wanted. Well, it's not like she was expecting him to confess his eternal love for her, but she wasn't expecting him to give an answer that didn't answer the question she really wanted to ask. '_I guess…the only way to resolve this, for me, at least, is to tell him…_'

"Well, Neji…" She began. "Actually, th-there's something I need to tell you…"

Tenten felt her heartbeat increase rapidly and the heat start to rise on her cheeks.

Neji's voice was caught in his throat. What was going on? Does she…?

"I…I-I--"

X-X-X-X-X

Sakura stood atop the North gate, looking out into the horizon. She would come here to dwell, dwell upon all that's happened to her, to Naruto, to…Sasuke.

Sasuke. She missed him. She missed him dearly. And the fact that they had seen him again after three years, only to lose him again, made the pain ten times worse.

"Sasuke…" She mumbled.

"You really love him, don't you?" Came a voice from behind. Sakura turned to see Kakashi standing there, hands in his pockets, bored expression on what she could see of his face.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Kakashi walked to stand next to his student.

"I'm not saying I understand how you feel, as I have never quite been in your situation, but I miss him, too. Sasuke…" Kakashi looked to the horizon. "But I'm not worried. Naruto gave us his word, didn't he?" Kakashi's visible eyed curled into a smile. "I trust Naruto with all my being. If he can't bring Sasuke back, no one can."

Sakura just continued to stare off into the distance. Then, she smiled gently. "I know, Kakashi-sensei. Naruto never goes back on his word."

"That's right."

"I trust him, too. He'll get Sasuke-kun to come back." She turned to her teacher. "I'm just thinking. About what to do next. About how we're going to get him back for sure next time."

Kakashi just stared at his student. Then, his visible eye curled up into another smile. "You've really grown, haven't you, Sakura?" Sakura smiled.

"I try, Kakashi-sensei. For Naruto. And for Sasuke."

X-X-X-X-X

"Well, I'm stuffed!" Naruto said, putting down his empty ramen bowl (number twelve). He sighed satisfactorily. "Have I ever told you how good your cooking is, old man?" Naruto directed at Teuchi. The old cook chuckled good-heartedly.

"All the time, Naruto, but it still makes me smile whenever you say it."

"Well, it's true!" Naruto said. "It's the best, right, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata turned to Naruto and smiled. "Y-yes, Naruto-kun." Naruto felt his cheeks warm up. Something about Hinata's smile had that affect on him. Naruto gave his trademark grin.

"That's a little biased, I think." Iruka butted in.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked, annoyed. Hinata blushed lightly at the comment.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Iruka said, grinning knowingly while waving his arms in front of him.

"Whatever." Naruto said, getting up. "Let's go, Hinata-chan." Hinata rose from her seat as Naruto lay down the payment for both his and her meal.

"Y-you don't have to, Naruto-kun…" She said quietly.

Naruto smiled. "Don't worry about it, Hinata-chan. I want to." Hinata just smiled gently (earning a light blush from Naruto) and nodded. They turned and left. Shino, too, got up to follow them, paying for his meal and bidding farewell to Ayame.

"Naruto-ni-san!" Came a voice from behind the trio. They turned to see Konohamaru running towards them just before Naruto was tackled to the ground from a hug from the excitable kid. Hinata giggled as she watched the two wrestle on the ground. Shino turned to see Hanabi walking towards them.

"Good afternoon, Hinata-ne-chan." Hanabi greeted Hinata with a small smile. Hinata turned towards Hanabi and returned the smile.

"Good afternoon, Hanabi-chan." Hinata replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I just finished my missions with my team, and I decided to walk through the market." She then turned toward the wrestling couple. "Until, that is, this buffoon came and interrupted it." She said, directing her annoyance toward Konohamaru. The said Genin heard this and jumped up.

"Hey! Watch how you talk to the future Hokage!" He yelled at the younger Hyuga. Hanabi scoffed.

"You? Hokage? Yeah right." She said, crossing her arms and sticking her nose in the air.

"Yeah!" Naruto said. "I'm gonna be Hokage, not you, shrimp!"

"Hey!" Konohamaru yelled, tackling Naruto again as they began to wrestle on the ground again.

"They're both crazy." Hanabi said. Hinata giggled at the actions of the two 'brothers' on the ground.

"I believe that Naruto-kun will be Hokage someday." She said with a small smile. Hanabi gave her a questioning look.

"Really?" She said. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, Naruto-kun is very strong and determined, and never goes back on his word. He cares about the village and everyone in it, and does everything in his power to protect it." Hinata said absentmindedly, lost in the world of dreams, where she and her Naruto-kun lived happily together.

Hanabi put on a sly smile. "Really?" She said rather loudly. "You must _really_ like him, huh?"

Hinata sighed dreamily. "Yeah…"

This statement caused Naruto to freeze where he was, while Konohamaru continue to pound him on his head, unaware of the recent development. Hinata seemed to realize what she had said, as well, as she blushed a deep crimson and put a hand over her mouth. Hanabi smiled mischievously, apparently satisfied with the results. Shino raised his eyebrows. The fact that Hinata was smitten with Naruto was old news to him, but he was surprised that Hinata had so carelessly revealed her affection for the blonde. It made him wonder about certain things…and a certain person.

Hinata recovered first and began to stutter an explanation. "I-I mean, you know, I-I really like him a-as a friend and he's a-a very good person and a v-very likable person…"

Part of Naruto was delighted that Hinata liked him, another part refused to believe anyone, especially Hinata, could like someone with a demon in him. He jumped up and waved his hands in front of him.

"Y-yeah! We're just friends! Besides, who would like someone like me?" Naruto said sheepishly.

Part of Hinata was thankful for Naruto's help, but another part of her was saddened at Naruto's words. '_Someone like me, Naruto-kun…_' She thought to herself. She nodded in agreement to Naruto's statement.

"Suuuuuure…" Hanabi said, disbelievingly. Konohamaru seemed to finally catch the flow of things and smirked.

"Heh. Come on, Hanabi. We're not going to get much more from those two. They're just too wimpy to admit it." He said, walking off with his smirk still in place. Hanabi played along and followed him.

"Yeah. What wimps!" She agreed.

"Hey, you little punks! Get back here so I can kick your asses!" Naruto yelled, blush on his cheeks as he chased after the laughing Genin. Hinata smiled at the sight. Even if it didn't look it, Naruto was very good with kids. This thought led to others, of which contained similar subjects.

Naruto walked back towards Hinata and Shino, catching his breath. "Those two are faster than they look…" He said between breaths.

"Indeed." Shino agreed.

On the outside, Naruto looked like the event had never happened, and he had forgotten and had moved on, but on the inside, it was a different story. Part of him was disappointed that Hinata didn't like him as more than a friend, and the other part of him was wandering why he felt that way.

X-X-X-X-X

"Do you think he's figured it out yet?" Iruka asked, looking at the backs of the retreating teenagers.

"No…" Shizune answered.

"How dense is he?" Ayame sighed. "Anybody could have figured it out by now…"

"Really, you can't blame him." Teuchi spoke up. Everyone turned toward the aged cook. "It's not his fault." He said, smiling at the back of the retreating figure that was Naruto. "He's had a rough life. No one was there for him in his early years, you know? He never new the care of a guardian, the pride of a teacher, the love of a parent. Love is a foreign concept to him. He does not know what it is, therefore he cannot recognize it. As obvious as Hinata's affection for him is, he can't compare it to anything, therefore he cannot label it. It's a new thing." Teuchi smiled sadly. "It…really is sad, when you think about it…"

Everyone remained quiet for a while. Ayame then spoke up. "Well, then, I guess Hinata-san will just have to show him, huh?"

"Looks that way." Teuchi replied.

"But could Hinata really be able to do that?" Iruka asked. Shizune looked at him like he was crazy.

"Are you telling me you haven't noticed?" She asked incredulously.

"What do you mean?"

"Hinata-san's growing affection for the boy…" She sighed. "I can tell. She's in love with him."

"Love?" Iruka stuttered.

"Yeah…" Shizune continued. "The way she looks at him, talks to him, acts around him, talks about him… She's completely and utterly in love with him."

Iruka just sat there. "W-well…I never thought of it like that…"

"It's sooooooo romantic!" Ayame said with a dreamy look. "I wish I had somebody like that…" She added as her thoughts drifted to a certain person.

"Yeah, it is…" Shizune agreed with a smile.

"How long you reckon she's been…in love with him?" Iruka asked.

"For a very long time." Shizune replied. "Yes, it may have started as a crush, but I'd be willing to bet it was only like that for a short while."

"I still don't get how you know all this…" Iruka said with a confused look.

Shizune merely smiled. "Let's just say it's women's intuition." And with that, she touched the tip of Iruka's nose with her index finger and left. Iruka just sat there, blushing lightly.

'_I'll never understand women…_' He concluded as he, too, left, heading toward the East gate.

X-X-X-X-X

'_How troublesome…_'

Shikamaru was walking down the street, in the East side of the market, heading toward the East gate, to the food district, where many of the restaurants were. He sighed. Women really were too damn troublesome. And he didn't even know why this time. Temari had said to meet her at some food place here. And for once, Shikamaru was at a complete loss as to what Temari's reasons could be. He may be a genius, but women were a whole different 'bag of chips,' as Choji would say. Temari had dragged him off at the party and demanded that he meet her. She gave no reason, and Shikamaru was to lazy to argue.

'_Damn Suna woman. Of all women, she may be the most troublesome…_' He thought as his expression grew even more sour. Well, it's not like he had anything better to do, seeing as there were no clouds to watch, as it was too cloudy. He looked up and saw lighting flash against the sky. It was going to rain soon. '_Great. Troublesome weather to go along with a troublesome situation…_'

But somewhere inside of him, he found that he really didn't find it too troublesome. Wait, hold on. What was he thinking? Of course it was troublesome! It was the most troublesome thing in the world! Well, maybe not… No! Yes, it is!

'_What's gotten into me?_' Shikamaru asked himself desperately. '_These past years… I've been thinking more and more about her. Sometimes I can't stop thinking about her! And then I get this weird feeling in my stomach sometimes… AHH! What the hell is going on!_' He yelled to himself in his head, a pained expression on his face. '_These emotions… What are they? I mean, I can't POSSIBLY feel any sort of attraction for that damn woman…_' But a part of him didn't think it was so outrageous. '_Ahh… This is too damn troublesome…_'

X-X-X-X-X

Temari was sitting at a table in a far corner of the diner she chose. She kept fidgeting, waiting for Shikamaru. She never remembered feeling so nervous. But, this was something she had to talk to him about, something that she had to tell him. She couldn't keep it to herself forever, or she might never have another chance. Best to do it now…

'_Mmm… What's taking him so long!_' She asked herself. Why'd he have to pick today of all days to be extra lazy? She was getting impatient, as well as more nervous.

As if that wasn't the only thing, it was about to rain, and she had this sense that something was going to happen, like a calm before the storm. Of course, that was probably the atmosphere inside the entire village, seeing as a storm was brewing.

'_But…this feeling won't go away._' Temari thought. '_Shikamaru… Hurry up…_'

X-X-X-X-X

"Looks like we're here, Itachi."

"Hmm…" Itachi looked up to see the village in the distance. "Very…interesting."

"What's interesting?" Hidan asked with a questioning look. Kisame and Kakuzu also looked interested.

"This feeling…" Itachi said, closing his eyes in a thoughtful manner.

"Feeling?" Kakuzu asked. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"I feel…" Itachi started. "I feel like I'm finally coming home."

"Finally…coming home?" Kakuzu repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Perhaps it is a sign." Itachi said. "Today should be very interesting."

"You're creepin' me out with all this 'feeling' bullshit…" Kisame said, looking at Itachi like he was fairly insane. "I'll never understand you…"

"Then let's go." Hidan said. "It's not our job to understand each other. We're here for the Kyubi."

"Yeah, yeah…" Kakuzu replied, following Hidan. Kisame followed soon after. Itachi looked back up at the village.

"We're coming, Naruto-kun." He muttered. "I do hope you're ready."

X-X-X-X-X

"Hmhmhm…"

"We're ready, sir."

"Good. Strike when it starts raining. It'll add some drama to the invasion."

"…Yes, sir."

"Drama, sir?"

"Well, my invasion of this pathetic village should be memorable."

"As you wish, sir."

"Hmhmhm…" The figure smiled evilly. "Today, your interference with my plans stops…

"Today, you die, Uzumaki Naruto!"

X-X-X-X-X

Choji stopped eating. He put down his chopsticks and raised his head. Ino looked at him questioningly.

"Is…something wrong, Choji?" She asked. Choji looked at her and gave her a small smile.

"It's nothing." He said. "It's just started raining, that's all…" But looked down at his plate with a troubled look. Ino could tell something was wrong.

"Choji…?"

Suddenly, there was a large explosion that shook the restaurant.

X-X-X-X-X

"N-Neji… I…I-I--!" Tenten began.

Suddenly, Neji clamped his hand over her mouth. "Shh!" Tenten looked at him, surprised. Neji's face was dead serious. He dropped his hand and activated his Byakugan.

What he saw made his eyes widen in fear.

"Shi--"

Then a loud explosion overcame the southern end of the estate.

Then, all Neji knew was darkness.

X-X-X-X-X

"So, then, Gai-sensei--!" Lee stopped his story and perked his head up. Tsuki gave him a confused look.

"Lee, is something wrong?" Lee's face went serious as he answered without moving his head.

"I sense many chakra signatures. Too many. Something is not…not…"

Suddenly his eyes widened as a huge explosion rocked the estate.

X-X-X-X-X

Shikamaru spotted the diner that he was supposed to meet Temari at. He sighed.

'_Here goes nothi--!_' His head shot up. He felt something. Something he'd, in his career as a shinobi, come to associate with trouble. Big trouble.

Shikamaru turned this way and that, trying to identify the source of the chakra burst he had just felt. "What's… What's going on?" He said nervously. "Damn it… Damn it!" He muttered, rushing to the gates to warn the ANBU on patrol.

But he was too late.

BOOM!

* * *

A/N – Holy crap. I am _so_ sorry for this late update. I have no idea what happened. One week, I was on vacation (with no computer access at _all_, I might add), and the next week, school started, and the chapter fell apart. I'm really sorry. I know how much you guys hate late updates, and I apologize. You guys can thank NewSon for e-mailing me to get off my lazy ass. Thanks, NewSon! Again, I apologize. Well, I guess that's enough excuses…

On a lighter note, this is the longest chapter I've written so far, in retrospect to this being the longest time it's been since I've updated.

And a cliffy. Don't worry, though. I'll be sure to get the next chapter out much sooner than this one. I swear on my honor as an author, shinobi, and Narutard.

And you all met Tsuki-chan this chapter. She actually popped into my head one day, while I was taking a test. It was my Language Arts benchmark, and there was this poem titled "The Lotus Flower." I instantly thought, "Lee!" I read it, and I came up with a wonderful idea for a pairing for Lee. Thus, Tsuki-chan was born! If you've ever read the poem, and you know what "Tsuki" means in Japanese (moon), then you'll get it.

And as I said before, all pairings for this story have been confirmed, and all the confirmed pairings appeared in this chapter. So, think of it as one less thing to worry about.

I also have pretty much laid out the rest of the story in my head, so that will be less of me thinking, and more of me typing. So, hopefully, updates will be sooner.

I also have the plotline laid down for the sequel. I say that now because it has the one of the biggest plot twists in Naruto history. At least, that's my opinion. None of you will ever guess what it is. Just be prepared for several surprises in times to come…

Anyway, once again, I apologize for this extremely late update. There is no excuse for such tardiness, and I will make it up to you guys, even if it takes the whole story.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, especially since it's so late. Thanks for being so patient, and I dearly hoped you enjoyed this chapter.


	11. Preemptive Strike

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

Yo. Welcome to yet another installment of my humble story. I really appreciate you guys for sticking with me so far. It means a lot to me. (sniff)

Anyway, enough emotion. From me, anyway, 'cause we're bound to see some emotion in the coming chapters. I'm so cruel… (Forgive me, Hinata-chan!)

**Everyone!** This chapter is dedicated to Ken, or kagehusha, and myself, as his birthday is today, and mine was on Sunday, the 10th. Happy birthday to Ken and myself! I'm 16 now! Woo!

**Before you read, I wanna straighten something out. I don't think some of you completely grasp the theme of this story. As I'm sure most of you have figured out by now, the theme is Naruto's dormant power and how it awakens, but knowing the theme and understanding the theme are two different things.**

I've read in several reviews about you guys expecting Naruto to go all 'Kyubi' on those Akatsuki bastards. While, indeed, there will be much kicking of the ass in these chapters, this isn't about Naruto using Kyubi's strength. It's about him overcoming Kyubi's strength and finding his own power. If you recall, in Chapter 299 or somethin', Yamato said to Naruto something around the lines of: "You're power is stronger than the Kyubi's." Or somethin' like that. The point is, Naruto doesn't want to rely on Kyubi's power, and, therefore, is training himself to be able take care of himself. He wants to save Sasuke with his own power, not Kyubi's. That's what the whole theme of this story is: Naruto overcoming Kyubi's strength, and finding a power that he's always had. That power is the power I am referring to when I talk about Naruto's awakening.

I just wanted to clear that up with some of you. Don't worry, that doesn't mean Kyubi's goin' anywhere (yet…), it just means that Naruto's gonna learn to kick ass his own way, without Kyubi's help. You'll find out what I mean.

And, back in chapter eight, when I had Naruto and Hinata do the elemental thing, I had a reason for that. A very big reason. All this ties into Naruto's 'awakening' and Shino's, as well as Hinata's, little inclusion in my plot twist. Let's just say that Naruto isn't the only one who will be doing some waking up…

Enough teasers. Hopefully, that cleared up some questions and got my point across. I'm dearly trying to make you guys realize that Naruto does not want Kyubi's help; he wants to be strong by himself. He wants to be known for his strength, not the Kyubi's. I dearly hope you guys get what I'm saying.

Wow. Long A/N…

Now, ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

_**Chapter XI – Preemptive Strike**_

A figure flew through the city of Konoha at top speed, little more than a blur to the untrained eye. The figure sped around the entire village, seemingly trying to find something…or somebody.

'_Naruto… Where are you?_' The figure stopped on top of the Hokage monument, looking down at the village. To the east, he saw the commencing attack on the village by his pursuers.

'_Damn! They're here already?_' He thought. He sped off again, continuing his search for the blonde shinobi.

"Naruto…"

X-X-X-X-X

Shikamaru picked himself up, swaying as he did so. He looked around slowly, with a pained look on his face. Everything seemed to be in slow motion, and dead quiet, aside from the ringing in his ears. He looked and saw the debris everywhere, scattered about the ground. Injured people limped away, carrying themselves or others, wounded and bleeding. Dead bodies littered the ground. His mind was completely blank.

Then, slowly, the ringing disappeared, the pace returned to normal, and sound reached his ears, and coherent thought returned to his head.

Finally having a grasp on the situation, his senses returned and he dodged a kunai that flew through the spot his head was less than a second ago. He realized what was happening and he raised his guard, dodging more shuriken and kunai as they came. He suddenly remembered that there were non-combatants present, and he would need to get them to safety.

Luckily, Gaara seemed to be unfazed, and was taking care of the wounded and protecting the citizens. His sand was well suited to the job of making sure no one else was harmed.

Then, the invaders started swarming in, and it was then that Shikamaru saw their headbands.

They were Oto ninja.

Shikamaru scowled. Damn that snake bastard! "Orochimaru…" He growled, clenching his fists. Now, there were very few things in the world that really set Shikamaru off, and that bastard, Orochimaru, had picked the worst one.

Shikamaru got into a ready stance as he prepared to do his thing, when he remembered it was raining, and the clouds were blocking off sunlight. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a kunai and a tag. He attached the tag to the kunai and threw it behind him. Looking behind him, he yelled, "Close your eyes!" Gaara and others in the vicinity got the message and shielded their eyes. Shikamaru turned back to the mass of soldiers coming at him and put his hands in a familiar seal. Suddenly, the tag went off, and a massive flare lit up the area. Shikamaru used the added light to make a massive shadow that wound its way throughout the mob in front of him. He focused his Chakra and shouted, "_Ninpo: Kage Kasui-Wana no Jutsu_!" His spidery web of shadows suddenly shot up, forming thin spikes that impaled a vast majority of the mob in front of him. The enemy ninjas, being blinded by the flare, were helpless as they fell victim to the shadowy sea of spikes. After several seconds, Shikamaru's shadow retracted and he ran into the mob.

Using the after shock of the attack to his advantage, he ran to the surviving soldiers with his kunai, catching them off-guard as they recovered from the deadly shadow technique. As he reached each enemy, he used the kunai to finish them off quickly, slashing their throats and severing vital veins and arteries. He worked his way through several of the surviving shinobi before they started to return to their senses. A little worn from the chakra usage and running, Shikamaru stopped to catch his breath. He then noticed a bit too late an enemy coming from behind. He moved to defend himself, but it was too late.

But the blow never came. He opened his eyes and saw the ninja sticking his kunai through his comrade's chest, before they both were mowed down by a giant wrecking ball of some sort. He watched as the wrecking ball sped back toward him, but he relaxed, as Choji returned to his normal form and took a position next to Shikamaru.

"You alright, Shikamaru?" He asked. Shikamaru grabbed at a stitch in his side, but merely nodded.

"Yeah, just went a little overboard there…" He said, catching his breath. Ino then appeared and crouched down next to him.

"You alright?" She asked, a look on her face like she'd just seen something scary.

"What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked. "You look you saw a ghost or somethin'…"

"I've…never seen you lose it like that…" She replied. "You just totally wasted all those ninja without hesitation."

"That bastard, Orochimaru…" He growled. "He… How dare he attack this village!"

Choji's eyes widened. "Orochimaru?" He asked.

"These ninja…" Shikamaru pointed to one of the dead soldier's head.

"Th-they're Oto ninja!" Ino gasped. "But… Why? Why is he here?" Shikamaru merely shook his head.

"I don't know, but…" He looked around. "We need support, now."

"But they're all dead!" Ino cried. "Why do we need backup?"

"Idiot! Use your head. Do you really think that Orochimaru would send such a small force to attack the village?"

Realization suddenly dawned on Ino's face. "We need to get ready." Choji said, looking at the destroyed gate. "A second wave will be here soon enough…" Ino nodded. Two ANBU appeared and looked at Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru-san! Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." He replied. "I need you two to get me as many Chunin and Jonin rank ninja here as you can. I also want every medic ninja available here, now!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Ino, I want you to hand out soldier pills to all shinobi here that aren't severely wounded. Get them back on their feet and ready to fight." Ino nodded and took a bag of soldier pills from Choji before running off.

"Kazekage-sama!" Shikamaru shouted to Gaara. "I want you to stay back and defend the medics and injured while we deal with the enemy."

Gaara looked confused. "Wouldn't I be a greater asset if I took a more offensive role?" He asked. Shikamaru shook his head.

"No, your sand is much faster than anything else we have. It's and ideal defensive factor, and it would be best served making sure no one else gets hurt." Gaara nodded in understanding and turned back towards the injured. Choji turned toward Shikamaru.

"What are we gonna do?" He asked. Shikamaru lowered his head.

"Look for survivors…" He paused. "…and move the dead." Choji looked a little spooked, but nodded. He took the left side of the street, where several shops were, as well as the now destroyed southern wall of the Hyuga estate. Shikamaru turned to the left side of the road and scanned the destroyed buildings. He sighed. "Damn it…" He muttered as he slowly made his way to the ruins. He started shoveling through the gravel when he spotted something. Something that made his heart stop and his blood run cold.

It was a rather large fan, scratched but otherwise intact.

Shikamaru's eyes widened in fear. He knew only one person who carried a fan that large. Probably the only person.

'_Temari!_'

X-X-X-X-X

Kakashi and Sakura stood on top of the North gate, still looking upon the horizon. Sakura, however, was looking in the direction of the East gate.

"Kakashi-sensei! Something's happening over at the East gate!" She said, pointing in towards the east side of the city. Kakashi remained silent. It seemed as though he hadn't heard. "Kakashi-sensei--"

"Sakura." He said suddenly, with a dangerously serious voice. "Go and get help. I don't care who it is, as long as it isn't Naruto."

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura said fearfully. She didn't like the aura Kakashi was giving off.

"Go!" He shouted, turning towards her, where she noticed that Kakashi had revealed his Sharingan. "We've got trouble!"

"But the East gate--"

"Well, unfortunately, we're going to have to leave that to the others. I need you to find as many powerful allies as possible. You have five minutes." Kakashi looked at her with dead seriousness. "This is an S-class mission. If you fail, Naruto and I will probably die." Sakura was shaken. What was he getting at? "Go!" He yelled. Sakura returned to her senses and nodded, determination plastered on her face.

'_Kakashi-sensei…Naruto…I won't fail! Not this time…_'

X-X-X-X-X

"…n…nnn…uh…"

Darkness. That's what Neji woke up to. Complete and utter darkness. He tried to open his eyes, but was met with searing pain, as feeling returned and he was painfully aware of how sore his body was. He heard the cackling of fire nearby, and cries from several nearby people. And, _damn_, his head hurt. He sat up, rubbing his head, feeling dried blood and a bit of fresh blood. He tried to open his eyes again, but was once again met with a shooting pain across his eyes. Then the panic started to settle in.

He tried to open his eyes again. Pain. He reached up and touched his closed eyes. Blood. And pain. No. This can't be. This wasn't happening.

"No… No…"

"Neji? You're awake!" Tenten's voice came from his left. He turned toward the direction of her voice. "Neji?" She said, worried. His face was extremely bloody.

"Tenten…" Neji said, loosing his breath. "I… I…"

"Neji? What's wrong?" She replied fearfully, her voice shaky.

"I… I'm blind!"

X-X-X-X-X

"Shino!"

The said shinobi turned in the direction of the call, seeing Sakura, Kiba, and Kurenai running in his direction. They stopped in front of him, Sakura and Kiba panting. "Th-there you are…" Kiba said between pants.

"Sakura-chan? Kiba?" Sakura turned in the direction of the voice and was met with the sight of Naruto and Hinata standing behind Shino. Normally, she would have questioned this, but now was definitely not the time. Especially when Naruto was the last person she wanted to meet.

'_Damn…_' She thought. "Shino…Hinata-san… We need you to come with us, quickly!"

"W-what's wrong, Sakura-san?" Hinata asked nervously. Shino looked at Sakura expectantly.

"There's no time." Kurenai butted in. "We have to go. Naruto, go to the Hokage's office."

Naruto faltered. "What?" He gasped. "What's going on?"

"I can't tell you that. You are to report to the Hokage's office immediately." Kurenai said firmly. Naruto looked frustrated. She was keeping something from him.

"Tell me what's going on!"

"That's an order!" She shouted. Naruto clenched his fists.

"Grr… Fine." He said, turning away.

"Now, let's go." Shino said, giving Naruto one last glance before looking at Kurenai questioningly, or at least as questioningly as he was able to. They dashed off. Hinata, however, stayed behind for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun…" She said apologetically. Naruto shook his head.

"Don't worry about it." He said solemnly. He was very concerned about what was going on. Hinata gave him one last worried glance before turning to follow her comrades. "Wait, Hinata-chan!" He said before she dashed off. Hinata turned back around to face him. "Hey… Be careful, okay?" He said, looking concerned. Hinata nodded and ran off after the others. Naruto stood there for several more seconds before he dashed off in pursuit.

'_She was hiding something from me…_' He thought, frustrated. '_What's happening? First, that loud explosion in the distance, now this. What the hell is going on?_'

X-X-X-X-X

"Damn… Damn!" Shikamaru dug at the rubble, trying to get to the bottom of the pile of ruin. That fan was Temari's, which meant this was the place he was supposed to meet her at, which meant that… "Rrrr…!" He groaned. This reckless digging was tearing up his hands, and they were starting to throb in pain. "AHH!" He yelled, the pain becoming worse. But he couldn't stop. He needed to get to her. He wouldn't let her die. Three years ago, he promised that he wouldn't let another one of his comrades be lost under his command. Sure, this wasn't a mission, and he wasn't leading her, but she had been waiting on him. She had been his responsibility. This was his entire fault!

"Shikamaru!" Choji's voice came from behind, sounding concerned. Shikamaru paid him no mind. He had to get to Temari. The longer he took, the better chance there was that she was already dead. "What's wrong? Shikamaru!"

"AHH!" Shikamaru shouted in pain. His hands were covered in blood and they felt like they were on fire, but he couldn't stop. He wouldn't stop. He wouldn't lose another friend because he screwed up. Not again.

Choji just looked on fearfully. If Shikamaru kept this up, he was going to destroy his hands. He had no idea what was going on. He looked around to see if he could gather anything from the surroundings. When he saw the large fan, his eyes widened, and he realized what exactly had Shikamaru so upset. He dropped to his knees and began to help Shikamaru dig. His hands were much tougher than Shikamaru's, so he had no trouble with the rough debris. Shikamaru's hands, however, were only getting worse. But this only increased his fervor. Then Shikamaru saw something that made him stop dead.

A bloody hand stuck out from the rubble, with a bracelet on the wrist that Shikamaru knew only too well.

Shikamaru stayed still, shocked at the discovery, before resuming his digging at such a pace that it put his previous efforts to shame. By the time he had stopped, Temari's entire upper body was visible, and his hands were drenched in blood and hurt like hell. But he paid it no mind. Temari looked bad. She was covered in scraped and bruised and riddled with cuts. Blood was everywhere.

"Temari!" Shikamaru yelled, hoping to get a response from the Suna shinobi. Temari gave no sign of life. Choji continued to shovel the rest of the rubble off of her. Shikamaru moved to check her vitals, but was suddenly painfully aware of the state of his hands. Pain shot through his entire forearm every time he made to move his hand. He stared at his hands. Blood. The skin on his fingers and knuckles was entirely gone, revealing the pink flesh below them. Much of the rest of his hands was torn up similarly. But all he saw was the red. Blood. His blood. He spilled so much of his blood, trying to keep his promise, and would do it again a thousand more times to keep it, but… Was it worth it? Temari wasn't responding or showing any visible signs of life. Blood. All this blood. Was it all for nothing? Just an empty goal?

In the end, could he really save anyone?

Choji moved to check Temari's vitals. She wasn't breathing. He was about to check her pulse when he looked at Shikamaru. He just kneeled there, staring at his hands, which looked like they hade gone through a blender. He looked utterly hopeless. "Shikamaru?" Choji said weakly. Shikamaru jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Ch-Choji…" He began shakily. "I…I promised that I wouldn't fail again… That I wouldn't let myself lose another friend…"

Choji kneeled there, worried for his friends mental health. This wasn't good. To make Shikamaru lose it like that…

"But… In the end, I couldn't do it. I couldn't save anybody. I failed again."

Choji just sat there, dumbfounded. He had never seen Shikamaru so…helpless, so lost. He didn't know what to say.

Shikamaru continued to sit there and stare at his torn-up hands. Blood dripped and fell onto Temari's face, adding to the already large amount on her person.

Shikamaru clenched his fists. Pain shot through his arms, like nothing he had felt before, but he didn't notice. All he felt was the pain of loss and something he had only felt scarcely before.

Rage. Pure and blinding rage.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, letting his emotions fly out in a rare show of uncontrolled emotion. Choji just sat there, looking at his friend sadly. But he felt rage bubbling up inside of him, as well.

'_Orochimaru…_' He thought with a deadly killer intent coursing through his being. '_You WILL pay for this!_'

X-X-X-X-X

'_Warmth…_' Was her only thought. Warmth. On her face. Only a small spot, but it was warmth. Feeling. Consciousness.

And pain. She felt pain. But not from her battered body. It paled in comparison to the pain she was feeling now. It came from an outside source, a nearby outside source. Her hearing returned, and she heard a scream. It hurt. Not in volume. It was laced with internal pain and struggle. The source of the yell was in serious pain. Pain she had never wished to feel. Coherent thought returned. She realized there must be someone next to her. A very hurt person. Someone who was feeling pain so strong, she could fell it from her current position. It hurt her, this person's pain. She wanted it to stop. Nobody should be in such pain. She opened her eyes.

'_Gloomy…_' Was her first inference. The clouds were gray, occasionally flashing with lightning as thunder followed immediately after, the sky taking a brief rest in it's torrential downpour. Thunder. The thunder. No…it wasn't thunder. It was the scream. So painful, filled with such sadness it made the sky look sunny in comparison. She turned her head slightly.

There. The source of the pain. A man. With a forest green jacket. And black hair, tied in a short, high ponytail. Recognition. It hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Shi…ka…maru…"

X-X-X-X-X

Shikamaru froze. As did Choji. That wasn't real, was it? That was just their imagination, wasn't it? Both looked down to the presumably dead body of Temari.

She stared back at them, eyes barely open. Shikamaru just stared. He couldn't believe his eyes. She was alive! He shakily reached out to her with his bloodied hand. Temari looked in the direction of his nearing hand. She noticed it's trashed state.

'_Did he…do all that…?_' Tears formed in her eyes. "Damn…damn it, you…"

"What?" Shikamaru continued to stare in disbelief.

"Hurting…yourself…like that…" She muttered. "Idiot…"

Relief flowed through Shikamaru like a warm breeze. She really was alive! He smiled weakly. "You're okay!" He managed. Temari smirked, but faltered as pain shot through her. She maintained the smirk nonetheless.

"Heh… You shouldn't worry…so much…

"…Crybaby…"

With that, she closed her eyes, and the tears flowed from her eyes. Shikamaru smirked happily.

"Troublesome woman… You're the one who's crying…"

Before she lost consciousness, she felt something liquid hit her cheek.

'_Warmth…_' Was her last though before she slipped into unconsciousness.

Shikamaru's hands were lying limply on his thighs.

X-X-X-X-X

Hinata landed on top of the North gate, arriving beside Sakura. She looked down, seeing Kakashi, Kurenai, Shino, and Kiba standing down on the ground below, facing four strangers.

Four strangers, cloaked in black with red clouds embroidering their attire.

Hinata was nowhere near them, but she could feel their strength from here. She shivered involuntarily. '_Such strength…_' She thought fearfully. '_Who are they?_'

"Hinata-san…" Sakura said, never moving her gaze from the sight below. "They told us to remain here…"

"W-what?" Hinata stuttered. Was she serious? They were so strong. She could feel it. Shouldn't they help?

"As medical ninjas…" Sakura began. "They advised us to remain outside the battle." Hinata looked at her four comrades below.

"A-are you serious?" She asked in disbelief. "Th-those men are so strong… Shouldn't we help?" Sakura smirked.

"Of course we should." She said. "They obviously don't acknowledge how much we've grown, Hinata…" Sakura looked at Hinata with determination etched into her face. "Let's go.

"Let's show them… Let's show them how much we've grown."

X-X-X-X-X

Kakashi stood his ground, glaring at the new arrivals. '_Four of them?_' He thought angrily. '_This couldn't get any worse…_' (Apparently, Kakashi doesn't know about the little war going on at the East gate…) He clenched his fist as the staring contest continued. Kurenai's reaction seemed to be similar to his, while Kiba was blatantly showing his anger. Shino just stood there, keeping his usual cool.

"What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked. Itachi closed his eyes.

"You know very well why we're here, Kakashi-san." He said coolly. This only proceeded to piss Kakashi off even more.

"Leave." He replied. "As long as I live, you won't lay a hand on him."

"Tsk." Kakuzu grunted. "That can be arranged." He stepped forward. "I'll take care of you. You have quite the bounty on your head, Hatake Kakashi, or, should I say, Copy-Ninja Kakashi, elite Jonin of Konohagakure no Sato, age 29, birth date September 15, height 181 cm, weight 67.5 kg, bounty 10 million ryo."

Kakashi lifted his arm and grabbed his headband, revealing his Sharingan eye. "You've done your homework, haven't you? But it won't change anything." Kakuzu smirked under his mask.

"Very true." Came Kakuzu's voice from behind, startling Kakashi. Kakuzu swung his fist and sent Kakashi flying to the left. In a cloud of smoke, a log replaced Kakashi, and the real Kakashi leapt down from a nearby tree. Kakuzu smirked underneath his mask again. "I expected nothing less from you, Kakashi. But the games end now."

"Indeed." Kakashi agreed.

"Your head is too good an opportunity to pass up, Kakashi. I will kill you." With that Kakuzu dashed forward, attacking Kakashi. His blows were quick, and if it weren't for the Sharingan, Kakashi would be severely beaten by now. Even so, dodging his blows was becoming increasingly difficult. His speed made it impossible for Kakashi to counter attack. He decided to put some distance between him and Kakuzu, jumping away at the first available opportunity. Kakuzu smirked, as he used his speed to jump right after him, catching him in midair. Kakashi found himself unable to dodge. He briefly saw Kakuzu's skin color change from a pale indigo color to a pale green color. As Kakuzu appeared before him, he saw that his amazing speed had suddenly dropped, but he could sense an immense amount of chakra in the incoming punch.

'_Damn! I can't dodge!_' He braced himself for impact, but, suddenly, a large boulder smashed into the attacking Akatsuki member. Kakuzu was caught off-guard and faltered in his attack. A blur of black flew through the debris, heading straight for him. He moved too late, and his left arm was struck. His arm went limp, as he saw that his nervous system had been shut down in his left arm. He fell to the ground and jumped back, grabbing his arm.

'_Damn it!_' He thought angrily. The rubble cleared, and he saw two females in front of the group, one tending to Kakashi, the other facing him in a peculiar stance. He saw the white eyes and bulging veins, and instantly realized his tenketsu had been struck. He glared at the now-present Hyuga heiress.

"Are you okay, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura inquired, helping her teacher off the ground. Kakashi nodded.

"I'm fine." He said. "I thought Kurenai told you to not get involved?" He said sternly. Sakura just stared back just as sternly.

"I'm not gonna stay on the sidelines this time. I did before, and that only resulted in Sasuke-kun leaving and Naruto getting hurt." Kakashi saw the determined glint in her eye. "I won't let anymore of my friends get hurt because I didn't step in to help!" Kakashi stared.

"Heh." He said, closing his eyes. "You really have grown."

"Hinata-san and I are strong enough to fight. We'll be fine."

"Alright, then. 'Strength in numbers,' I guess…"

Hinata stood in front of the group, Byakugan active, Juken stance ready. '_I got his arm…_' She thought, little bit of pride flowing through her. That feeling disappeared, though, when she saw the glare the man was giving her. She could feel his killing intent.

"You got hit by a girl?" Hidan directed at the pissed bounty hunter. "You're slipping, Kakuzu…"

"Shut up, Hidan!" Kakuzu spat in response. Damn that girl. That had hurt his pride, and she was going to pay for that. He clenched his fist and dashed at the Hyuga heiress. Hinata jumped at his sudden assault and was caught off-guard.

'_He's attacking! I can't dodge, he's too fast!_' She thought frantically. He was certainly going to kill her! There was no mistaking that killer intent. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact…

But it never came. Instead, she felt another killer intent, directed elsewhere this time, that made Kakuzu's feel like a poor insult. She opened her eyes.

Naruto stood there, shielding her, Kakuzu's fist clenched in his. He had stopped the attack. Hinata would have felt tempted to blush and think of Naruto as her knight in shining armor, if it weren't for his current appearance. His canines were elongated, as were his nails, and his whisker-marks were broader and more distinct. There was also an ominous red glow surrounding her savior. But what she noticed the most were his eyes.

They were no longer the blue she fell in love with. They were a deep blood red, with slit pupils, and none of the warmth she always saw in them. They were now cold and filled with hate and rage, directed at one person: Kakuzu.

Kakuzu himself was a little shocked at this turn of events. This kid was strong, he could feel it. And angry. Oh, yeah, he was _really_ pissed. And this feeling. This feeling of foreboding, radiating from the boy. It frightened him a little. This was him. This was the Kyubi.

Naruto threw Kakuzu to the side roughly, trying to hurt him as much as possible. Naruto clenched his fists and turned to the bounty hunter as he was picking himself up. He shot him a glare that would make Tsunade falter. He clenched his fists even tighter.

"If you _ever_ even _touch_ Hinata-chan with your filthy hands…" He growled, words dripping with hate. "_I'LL KILL YOU!_"

* * *

A/N – Ah, another chapter completed. I feel so accomplished. Anyway, the action starts, and all Hell's about to break loose. I'm shivering with excitement!

Happy birthday to Ken-san! Otherwise known as kagehusha!

And happy birthday to me! My b-day was on Sunday, the 10th, and I'm now 16! WOO!

Happy birthday to anyone else who I didn't know had a b-day this month!

Anyway, the plot thickens, and the action begins. I had fun writing this chapter. I had the Final Fantasy X boss battle theme playing, and it fit really well. But that's just me being a loser… (sigh) Anyway, the whole scene with Shikamaru and Temari, I know they were a little OOC, but it _was_ a very dramatic experience. I'd think I'd crack if one of my best friends died, and I felt responsible. Anyway, I hope they weren't too OOC…

And Neji. Damn, that sucks. But before all of you guys start hating me for making Neji blind, don't worry; it's not permanent. Tenten will be able to see those pearly white eyes again. So no hard feelings, okay, Neji?

Well, there's other stuff I could talk about, but I wanna read some Bleach. I got into it recently, and it's pretty badass. But Naruto is still my fave! NARUHINA ROCKS!

Laterz!

And again, happy birthday Ken-san!


	12. Headache

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

Back by popular demand, it's me! And I brought Chapter 12 with me!

We've breached the 300-review mark. WOO! Thanks to you all for reading!

The action continues, and Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino, Hinata, Kakashi, Neji, Lee, and a certain someone else are about to reach a whole new level of ass-kicking. They're gonna kick so much ass, the Akatsuki leader will feel it. Yeah, they're gonna kick that much ass.

You know, I'm a little surprised that no one commented on the 'mysterious figure' that appeared in the beginning of the last chapter. And here I though you guys were perceptive.

This chapter is rated a little higher due to coarse language and Sai's dirty mouth.

Well, read on, my faithful readers; read on.

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

_**Chapter XII – Headache**_

"Oww…"

Shikamaru sat inside one of the many medical tents set up in the last five minutes. Those medic ninjas sure could haul ass when they wanted to. His hands were being bandaged up, seeing as he had utterly destroyed them while digging Temari up. He would do it again if necessary. Still, they hurt like hell…

Shizune gave him a stern look. "Don't whine. You did this to yourself." Shikamaru just groaned.

"I know that. But they still hurt like a bitch…"

"Language, Shikamaru-san, language…" Shikamaru sighed as he looked at his bandaged hands.

"This is gonna make things a lot more troublesome…" An ANBU walked in.

"Shikamaru-san, we're ready to intercept the enemy's attack." Shikamaru turned to the hooded shinobi.

"We're not going anywhere." He said sternly. "We can't risk Orochimaru breaching the village. We remain here and defend the village." The ANBU nodded. Shikamaru sighed. It had started raining again. Today really was very troublesome… He stood up and walked out of the tent. Shizune followed. They walked over to one of the other medical tents. Shikamaru walked up to the medic standing outside. "How is Temari's condition?" He asked, slightly concerned. The medic looked up.

"She's quite beaten and suffered some fractures, but she'll be fine." She replied. Shikamaru nodded and walked over to Genma, who was standing nearby.

"Is the entire perimeter reinforced?" He asked. Genma turned to him.

"Yeah." He replied. "The entire wall has been stationed with shinobi, except the North gate."

"Why not?"

"Report say there's another opposing fore there that's already been intercepted, so they left that area alone." Genma said. "Didn't want to interfere. Orochimaru will probably steer clear of there to, if he wants to sneak in from a different direction."

Shikamaru nodded. "Alright."

"However, with all the reinforcements placed around the village, we've only got about 200 to defend each gate. If Orochimaru plans to directly attack one of the gates, we may have a bit of a problem…" Shikamaru sighed.

"Yes, but I have Ibiki stationed at the West gate and Anko at the South gate, so I think they'll be able to hold their ground until we arrive…" Genma nodded.

"Do you think he'll send the second wave here?" Shikamaru closed his eyes.

"I'm almost certain." He answered. "However, we can't take any chances."

"So, what should we do here?"

"I want you, Kotetsu, and Izumo to take a squad and position yourselves to the left of the gate. Prepare to ambush them when they enter." Genma nodded and left. Shikamaru turned around and came face-to-face with Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-sama?"

"Ah, Shikamaru-san." Jiraiya greeted. "I was looking for you. Tsunade and I have joined the force here. Tsunade's helping the medical force, and I'll be joining the frontlines." Shikamaru seemed a little surprised by the news.

"Really? Well, what should I do?" He asked, waiting for orders. Jiraiya smirked.

"I should be asking you that." Jiraiya said, smirking at Shikamaru's confused face. "Tsunade's orders are that you are to take command for this operation. If Asuma's reports are anything to go on, then I think it's a damn good decision. So, tell me what to do."

X-X-X-X-X

"Hanabi!"

Hiashi ran towards his younger daughter, inspecting her condition. She looked fine, other than her worried and slightly fearful look. "Father, what's going on?" She asked. Konohamaru caught up, catching his breath.

"I'm not sure…" Hiashi replied, looking in the direction of the East Gate worriedly. "Where is Hinata?" He asked.

"I don't know. We saw her not too long ago with Uzumaki-san…" The young Hyuga replied. Konohamaru nodded in agreement. Hiashi looked thoughtful for a minute. Why was she with him? He knew about her rather obvious affection for the boy, but, as far as he knew, the boy had never shown much interest in Hinata. Then again, he never saw the boy much. But now wasn't the time to think about such things. He had to find her and make sure she was alright. From the sound of things, she wasn't near the site of the attack, but, as her father, he still had to make sure.

"Don't worry, Hiashi-sama!" Konohamaru piped up confidently. "Naruto-ni-san will keep her safe!"

"How can you be so sure of that?" Hanabi shot at him. Konohamaru turned to her.

"Because he's the greatest shinobi in the village! Next to myself, of course…" He replied.

"Oh, yeah? I see that Sakura girl always kicking his ass!"

"He beat Neji-san senseless in the Chunin Exams!"

"He's too dull to notice that Hinata-ne-chan likes him!"

"He has a damn _bridge_ named after him!"

Hiashi sighed as the two continued to bicker. Really, they were like an old married couple… "Quiet, you two. Hanabi, I'm going to search for Hinata. Stay out of trouble. Konohamaru-san, please make sure she doesn't do anything rash. Both of you, be careful." He said as he took his leave. Both stared after him for a couple seconds before leaving themselves, both silently wondering what was goin on, and if their siblings (related by blood or otherwise) were alright.

X-X-X-X-X

Naruto continued to glare at Kakuzu, radiating killer intent in his direction, totally oblivious to the other Akatsuki members present. Right now, the only one who mattered was that little bastard that tried to hurt Hinata. He clenched his fists tighter.

"Don't you know, it's rude to hit a girl, bastard." Naruto spat at the masked Akatsuki member. Kakuzu stood up, wiping the blood off of his face.

'_Brat hits pretty hard…_' Kakuzu thought. '_Expected from one with the Kyubi's strength._'

"You're losing your edge, Kakuzu." Hidan stated lazily. "Hit by a girl _and_ a brat?"

Kakuzu scoffed. "Dumbass. Can't you see who he is?" Hidan just shrugged. Of course he knew. Evan a blind man could see, or, rather, feel the power this boy was emanating. "Smartass…"

Itachi and Kisame remained quiet throughout the whole ordeal. They didn't feel the need to interfere, at least, not yet. "Three tails, Itachi. Should we do something?"

The Uchiha shook his head. "No. Not yet; however, if things get out of hand, handle the young ones. Don't take Kakashi; you may be able to beat him, but we shouldn't take chances. You can't die yet." Kisame stayed silent for a minute.

"You're right." He replied with a small nod. "But…what about our spectator?" Itachi looked towards a tree off to the side, where they could sense someone. Itachi closed his eyes.

"I'll handle him."

"Kinda fitting, isn't it?"

"I suppose…"

Hinata continued to kneel behind Naruto, still in shock from his current appearance. Was this really Naruto? Was this really the man she fell in love with? The bloodlust he was emanating and the murderous glint in his eyes were nothing like the Naruto she remembered. This Naruto filled her with fear and dread. And what was with the tails of chakra?

Kakashi, Kurenai and Sakura just looked on fearfully. They knew full well what was going on.

"K-Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura mumbled shakily.

"Damn…" Kakashi mumbled. This was bad. Naruto was losing control, and Yamato wasn't there to handle him. If things got out of hand, Hinata could get hurt, or worse.

Kurenai looked on fearfully, concerned for Hinata's safety. "What should we do, Kakashi?"

"I'm not sure, but…" Kakashi got into a ready stance. "If worse comes to worse, I'll handle Naruto. The rest of just stay out of the way."

Kiba looked towards the Jonin. "Hey, what the hell is up with Naruto? That's some crazy power he's got, but it feels really…evil, or somethin'. It's like when he fought Neji, only, this time it's more powerful." Kiba tensed. "A lot more powerful." Akamaru back up behind Kiba and let out a small whine, as if to emphasize his point.

"Kiba…" Kurenai muttered.

"I'm afraid now's not the time for that." Kakashi said. "Later perhaps, but we've got a situation now. Just focus on making sure Hinata is safe, Kiba, if worse comes to worse." Kiba nodded, still worried about his friend's current appearance.

Naruto was about to dash towards Kakuzu again when he heard a voice.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

Hinata picked herself up, shaking slightly, looking at Naruto with a worried look. Naruto turned towards the Hyuga girl.

Kakashi and the others saw this and made to move, but were stopped by Shino, who was keeping his usual cool demeanor. "Don't interfere." He said, not shifting his gaze from Naruto and Hinata.

"Shino, if we don't do something, Naruto could hurt Hinata!" Kiba yelled.

"Yes, but look at him now." The others did as they were told, and their eyes widened.

Naruto turned at the sound of the voice, and Hinata came into sight. However, the moment Hinata was visible, he became aware of his actions and appearance. After several moments, Naruto suddenly grabbed his head and fell to his knees, grunting in pain.

'_Gotta…keep control…_' Naruto thought frantically. '_DAMN IT, YOU STUPID FOX!_'

X-X-X-X-X

"**Hmm…**" Kyubi grumbled, staring at his container spitefully as he grabbed his head and screamed in pain and frustration.

"AHHHH!" The blonde continued to scream as Kyubi's power continued to leak into him. "AHH…Damn fur ball…stop…AHH…messing…AHH…WITH MY HEAD!"

"**Brat. Know your place.**" Kyubi growled. "**You should be thanking me. With my power, you are able to protect your pathetic village.**"

"AHH…I…I don't need…your help…you bastard…" Naruto grunted.

"**But what about your friends?**" The demon fox said with an evil smirk. "**Your sensei? Your dear Sakura-chan?**" Naruto screamed louder. Kyubi smirked again. He had struck a chord.

"AHHHH!"

"**...your precious Hinata-chan?**" This definitely struck a chord. Naruto leaped up and grabbed the bars of the cage imprisoning the demon, banging the bars.

"I DON'T NEED YOUR FUCKING HELP, YOU GOD DAMNED DEMON!" He yelled hatefully.

"**Such language…**" Kyubi said sarcastically. "**Do you use such language around _her_?**"

"I SAID, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Naruto spat. "I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!"

"**BRAT! WITHOUT ME, YOU WOULDN'T BE ANYTHING!**" Kyubi retorted.

"Rrrr…"

X-X-FLASHBACK-X-X

"_Alright, twit, there's something we need to discuss." Jiraiya said, putting on a serious face. Naruto stood in front of him, wondering what was so important. "This is very important, so pay attention._

"_Now, as you know, the Kyubi is able to influence your chakra and mind when you're in an emotionally unstable state. This really coincides with your greatest strength and your greatest weakness, Naruto: your emotions. Now, don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that a shinobi should have feelings; all that crap about 'no remorse' and 'letting go of your emotions' is bullshit in my opinion. Emotions are a shinobi's greatest asset. However, emotion is a double edged sword; it can make you significantly stronger, but it can also drag you down. This is especially true in your case, twit. You run on instinct more than anything else, and you wear your heart on your sleeve."_

"_Hey! I got this far, haven't I?" Naruto shot at the Sennin. Jiraiya nodded._

"_It wasn't an insult, twit. The reason I trained you is because of this, Naruto; you have the ability to make your emotions the strongest kind of weapon. I know; I've seen you do it. This ability is rare, Naruto, and it makes you stronger than anyone else, if you know how to control your emotions."_

"_Are you saying that I'm incapable of controlling my feelings?"_

"_Yes, but I don't mean that in the way your taking it. I understand that you didn't have anyone there for you when you were younger…" Jiraiya looked sad for a moment. "…and this may be the reason for a lot of things, but the fact remains that, while your emotions can significantly help you, they also weaken you, twit. Your emotions cause you to throw caution to the wind and disregard all thought. This is a weakness, Naruto. You're too reckless, and one day, it'll get you killed. Moreover, enemies can use your emotions against you, and, trust me, Orochimaru will use that to his full advantage. He knows how to get to you, twit, and he'll use it without hesitation. Akatsuki knows this, and they will use it to their advantage. This is your greatest weakness, twit. It's even worse than it sounds, because of the Kyubi. He'll take advantage of your emotions to try and gain some amount of control. While it won't enable him to escape, he'll still be able to control his power through your body, and God knows what will happen after that." Naruto nodded, looking toward the ground. Was he really that much of a danger to himself and those around him? Figures. Him. The 'Demon Brat,' the 'Monster' of Konoha Village. "You need to learn to control your emotions before you get yourself killed. So, I'll be teaching you how to control your emotions."_

_Naruto gave his trademark determined grin. "Damn right! Let's do this, Ero-Sennin!" Jiraiya smirked. This kid really was something else._

X-X-END FLASHBACK-X-X

'_Gotta…calm down…control…emotions…_' Naruto thought, putting one hand to his head as the other remained on a bar of Kyubi's cage. He stumbled back and sat down on the wet floor of the dank sewers of the back of his mind, trying to gather his thoughts.

"**Finally giving in, twit?**" Kyubi growled. Naruto threw up his middle finger, but remained silent as he tried to calm himself.

'_Think of something to calm myself…_' Naruto said in his head. '_That's what Ero-Sennin said. Think of something calming… Get rid of my anger…_' His thoughts floated about in his head as he tried to find something that wouldn't spark his temper.

"**Just accept it, brat.**" The demon growled again. "**You need me.**"

"No," Naruto stated. "I don't." He remembered the time he went and visited the curry shop with Lee and his team. Ranmaru was doing just fine, and was quite the curry cook. He remembered the old lady had prepared some of her special 'super curry,' as he had dubbed it, and the look on Neji's face when he ate it. He laughed a bit at the memory.

"**What's so funny, twit?**" Kyubi asked, becoming increasingly annoyed with the blonde.

"Like you care." Naruto said, his eyes still closed. He remembered last Saturday night, when he had that 'Ramen Night' with the other guys. Their conversations and eating contest. It was nice to just eat ramen and talk with his friends.

"**Your getting on my nerves, with that damn smile of yours.**"

"Well, you're just going to have to get used to it, cause I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"**Smartass…**"

Naruto remembered his birthday party the previous night. How he had had so much fun, how all of his precious people had been there, how he had been so happy, how Hinata had… Naruto's face turned slightly pink at he thought. He regained his composure and stood in front of Kyubi with his grin in place.

"**Brat! Take my power!**" The fox yelled angrily. Naruto smirked.

"No thanks."

X-X-X-X-X

Hinata sat there, watching Naruto grabbing his head, screaming in pain. It broke her heart to see him in such pain, but it seemed as though he was fighting something, some…inner power. What was going on?

"Naruto-kun…" She muttered as she looked on fearfully.

"Naruto!" Sakura was about to run toward Naruto when a figure appeared before her and stuck it's arm out, stopping her. Yamato looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"Wait, Sakura." He said, expectation riddled in his voice. "Naruto is fighting him. This is his battle, not ours." Sai appeared beside her, crouching, smile in place, looking at the scene before him.

"Indeed." He said. "The dickless wonder has to grow some balls sometime." This earned him a firm whack on the head from Sakura and a disapproving glare from Kurenai, Yamato and Shino. Kiba, however, let out a small snigger, earning him a whack on the head from Kurenai.

Hinata made to move toward Naruto, but, suddenly, the red glow from around him began to disappear and his appearance returned to normal as he fell to the ground on his stomach. Hinata jumped up and rushed to him.

Itachi was looking on, a little surprised. '_Excellent, Naruto-kun. You have grown. Today shall be a fateful day, indeed…_' He glanced once more at the spectator in the tree.

X-X-X-X-X

A figure in the tree looked on, surprised.

"Naruto…" The figure mumbled. '_It seems you have gotten much stronger over these three years, Naruto._' He looked to Hinata and then to Sakura. '_I guess I should've realized it sooner. I was a fool. But I won't make the same mistake twice._'

X-X-X-X-X

Kakashi and the others stared on in amazement. Yamato had a look of pride in his eyes, and Shino was silently congratulating the blonde, and Sakura sighed in relief.

"Naruto…" She mumbled happily.

"H-he did it…" Kakashi muttered in amazement. "Naruto… You've grown more than I could have ever imagined. I'm proud of you."

Kurenai turned to the masked Jonin. "Did he--?"

"Yeah." Kakashi replied.

"Just who is he?" Kurenai mumbled in amazement. Kakashi turned to her as his eyes curved up in amusement.

"He's Uzumaki Naruto, Number One Unpredictable Ninja, and the village's next Hokage." Kurenai smiled.

"You have a lot of faith in him." Kakashi turned back to his student.

"Yes, I do. More than you know." His eyes curved back up in amusement. "But not as much as someone else." Kurenai smiled again.

What's going on here?" Came a voice from behind them. They turned around to see Hiashi arrive, looking at Hinata worriedly. "Is my daughter safe?"

"She is perfectly fine, Hiashi-san." Kakashi replied. Hiashi looked unconvinced. He leaned closer to Kakashi.

"I felt Kyubi's chakra coming from this direction." Hiashi said angrily. "If that boy even so much as _scratched_ my daughter, I will kill him." Kakashi's face went from slightly amused to deadly serious, glaring at the head of the Hyuga clan angrily. Kurenai, Yamato and Sakura looked equally as annoyed.

"You should know, Hiashi-sama, that that _boy_ just saved her life!" Kurenai growled. "He threw himself in front of an attack from an S-class criminal and stopped the attack, all to save your daughter." Hiashi looked surprised. The boy saved Hinata? "Moreover, he managed to suppress the Kyubi's influence over him by himself, further protecting your daughter from danger by protecting her from himself!"

Hiashi was quite shocked at this statement. This boy… He turned back to Naruto and Hinata. '_Uzumaki Naruto…is a very intriguing young man. Perhaps what I've heard is rather exaggerated. He'll require further observation._' The Hyuga head continued to watch his daughter care for the blonde as he lay on the ground, exhausted. He had never really held any personal contempt for the boy; he wasn't so conceited as to think the boy was actually the demon, but he was usually busy with clan business, so he never really had observed the boy often, going by rumors he heard from other clan members and villagers, most, if not all, of which was negative. But seeing him lay there, and hearing this from people who personally knew the boy, his opinion for the boy started to change. He would have to speak to the clan about how they talked about the boy.

"I see…" Hiashi said. "My apologies. It seems Uzumaki is quite different in person. I don't know why, but many of the villagers speak rather badly of him." He said the last part rather sarcastically. "Perhaps I should speak to the Hokage about this."

"Indeed." Yamato said. "That boy…is no demon. Quite the contrary, actually. If he weren't a total doofus, I'd think him some kind of saint." This earned a chuckle from Kakashi.

Naruto lay on his stomach, exhausted from the surprisingly taxing struggle. He couldn't move, and he was sore all over. Great. Twenty feet from the nearest Akatsuki bastard, and he couldn't even move. This sucked. This really sucked.

He heard movement as Hinata came into his field of vision. He looked up as much as he could and smiled weakly. "Hey…Hinata-chan… You alright?"

Hinata felt relief flow through her body as Naruto said that, followed by heat as her face turned pink. He was concerned for her! No, wait, now wasn't the time to be embarrassed. She wiped away the tears of joy and went to work healing the blonde, happy to see all the things she loved about him back on his face.

Kakuzu got into a ready stance as he prepared to rush the two. Now, he could get them both while they were preoccupied. Perfect. He rushed forward and prepared to strike. It was too little to late before anyone reacted, and Kakuzu reached the two teenagers before anyone could stop him.

Or, so they thought. But, once again, Kakuzu was sent flying to the side as another person made their entrance, holding out the fist that hit Kakuzu.

Everyone present (save the Akatsuki members and Shino) stared in shock, eyes wide.

Kakashi, Kurenai, Kiba, Hiashi, Hinata, and Yamato just stared in disbelief.

Sai's face took on a rather serious demeanor.

Kakuzu looked even more pissed at being hit a third time.

Sakura looked utterly shocked, totally unmoving, tears forming in her eyes.

Naruto looked up in equal shock, not believing what he saw.

"Sorry I'm late." He said. Naruto just couldn't believe it.

It can't be. It just couldn't be him.

* * *

A/N – Woo! Chapter 12!

OMG! O.O Who is it? XD Cliffy! You'll just have to wait 'till Chapter 13!

Maybe I should post Chapter 13 on Friday, Oct 13? (creepy music plays in background)

Man, writing this part of the story is actually very difficult. I've included, basically, every main and supporting character in Konoha, so there's a lot to write! Chapters are gonna start getting pretty lengthy soon…

Well, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I had a hell of a good time writing it!


	13. Stratagem

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto.

Summary – After a 2nd failed attempt to rescue Sasuke, Naruto returns home, once again empty handed. But all is not lost. The mission has taught Naruto where his true power lies. As it awakens, so does Naruto, and he wakes up to more than he expected…

Pairings – NaruHina (Main), SasuSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, LeeOC, IruShizu, KonoHana

Author's Note (A/N) – This is my first fan fic. Please R&R. I hope you enjoy it!

Greetings! Welcome to Chapter 13! It's the chapter after 12 and before 14!

Hehehe… (sweats profusely) Uhh…hey, guys… It's been a while… (checks previous chapter) F-four months?

Eh…he…he… Umm, y-you see… I, uh…

(gulps)

* * *

**Naruto's Awakening**

_**Chapter XIII – Stratagem**_

Naruto and Hinata stood up.

Him.

It really was him.

"I always have to save you, it seems." Uchiha Sasuke said, still facing the other direction. He turned around and faced Naruto.

That face.

The face of his friend.

"This isn't the best of places to catch up," Sasuke said. "I know you have much to ask, but let's take care of the problem at hand."

He held out his hand.

Naruto stood there.

And stood there.

Then, he smirked, grasping the Uchiha's hand.

"For once, I agree, bastard." Naruto replied. His somber look returned after a moment, however. "But you better have a hell of a story once we're done here."

Sasuke nodded, then turned to face the group behind him. He either got disbelieving or angry glare from the other shinobi. '_I can't really blame them, I suppose…_' His eyes stopped on Sakura.

Sakura jumped. He was looking at her! However, the shock hadn't worn off, and she continued to stand there.

They continued to stare at each other.

"OY!!" A voice came from behind. Everyone turned to see Kakuzu standing up, fury burning in his eyes. "That's the _third_ fuckin' time I've been punched by you bastards! You're really starting to piss me off!" He yelled, throwing off his cloak, revealing a lightweight combat vest.

"I'm getting tired of watching you get your ass kicked, Kakuzu." Hidan said from behind the angered Akatsuki member. He lowered his scythe from his shoulder and walked forward, grinning. "I want to have some fun, too…"

"Should we join them, Itachi?" Kisame asked his partner. Itachi nodded.

"Now that my brother is here, it's not like we have much of a choice." He answered, walking forward. "Take care of the Kyubi and the Hyuga."

Kisame nodded, following the Uchiha.

Kakashi shook off the shock of Sasuke's arrival and looked at his comrades. "Come on, guys." He said. "We have to help. Despite the recent turn of events, a battle is still going on here." Kurenai nodded in reply.

"Let's go, guys." She agreed. Kiba, Akamaru and Shino walked forward.

"We'll take care of pretty-boy, there." Kiba said, smirking, walking towards Hidan.

"Yamato, Sai, we'll take Kakuzu." Kurenai said, making her way towards the aforementioned Akatsuki member, Yamato and Sai following close behind. Kakashi stayed behind and glanced at Sakura.

'_I can't just leave her here, she's still in shock._' Kakashi though to himself. '_Guess I'll have to stay back here and watch after her, but I suppose I can jump in if I'm needed…_'

Hiashi remained behind with Kakashi. He felt he should help, but he wanted to keep an eye on his daughter. He stayed back, choosing to assess who needed his attention the most.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who was glaring straight at Itachi.

"You better not die, bastard." The blonde said. "You still have a lot to explain." Sasuke nodded in response. Naruto then turned to Hinata.

"You alright, Hinata-chan?" he asked. Hinata nodded.

"Th-thanks to you, Naruto-kun." She replied.

Naruto grinned in response. "No problem! Looks like we're gonna have to fight fish-face. Ready?"

Hinata smiled at her crush's overwhelming confidence and nodded. "I'm ready."

X-X-X-X-X

BOOM!

Shikamaru covered his head with his bandaged hands as another tag exploded amidst the ongoing battle.

"Sir, the gate is sustaining more damage!" A Chunin to his right yelled. Shikamaru scowled.

"No shit!" He yelled back. He then dodged the more of the many kunais and shuriken flying through the air. "Izumo! Kotetsu! Get reinforcements to the damaged site!" The Chunin nodded and charged of with several other shinobi. Shikamaru turned back to the action.

The second wave had come, as predicted, and it came in full force. The pressure was definitely being put on, and Konoha's forces were struggling to defend the East gate. Orochimaru had definitely planned this out.

Shikamaru jumped out of the way as an exploding tag went of next to him. Being injured, he was all the way in the rear, and it really pissed him off. Being unable to help out in any way other than strategy was testing his patience. As another Oto nin approached, he spun around and kicked the enemy away. The Oto nin stumbled onto his knees and attempted to get up when he felt pressure on the back of his neck. Shikamaru forced his foot down and stomped the Oto nin's head into the concrete, knocking him out and giving him one serious concussion. He turned back to the action and observed the scene.

Ninjas everywhere. Fighting, dead, wounded… War. That's what this was. War. Shikamaru scowled at the sight. Who did Orochimaru think he was?

WHOOSH!

Shikamaru came back to the real world as a kunai flew past his head. '_Damn, that was close…_' He thought. '_We need to do something, but the gate won't allow us to flank them._'

However, when he saw the opposition rushing the recently damaged site of the gate, he got an idea.

"Jiraiya!" Shikamaru yelled to the Sannin. The silver-haired shinobi turned around to face the teenager, attention focused solely on the commanding shinobi. "They're all rushing the damaged part of the wall! Get to the other side of the gate and blow a hole in the wall, then flank them!" Shikamaru yelled. Jiraiya nodded.

"But what about the ones in the front that are already inside?!" Jiraiya urgently inquired. Shikamaru looked around for a moment, wondering how to reply when he spotted Temari's fan still lying on the ground.

"I've got a plan!" Shikamaru yelled in response, walking over to the fan and proceeding to lift it up. Jiraiya didn't question him further and made his way to the other end of the gate with his squad. Shikamaru winced as pain shot through his arms while trying to lift up the fan. It weighed a ton!

'_How does that woman carry this thing?!_' Shikamaru though incredulously. As if trying to pick this thing up with injured hands wasn't hard enough, the rain wasn't helping either. '_Today is DEFINITELY not a good day…_' Shikamaru tried again, but to no avail. He was about to give up when another pair of hands grabbed the fan. He looked up to see Lee and a Hyuga female standing there.

"Hello, Shikamaru-san!" Lee yelled over the roar of the battle. "You look like you could use some help!"

Shikamaru nodded. "You'd be damn right in that assumption, Lee!" He yelled back. "Come with me!" He said, moving towards the recently damaged section of the gate. Lee nodded and followed, the Hyuga girl following him.

"What's going on, Lee?!" She asked.

"I am not sure!" He yelled in reply. "But I trust Shikamaru-san knows what he is doing!" The girl nodded in understanding. They stopped as Shikamaru did, facing the onslaught of oncoming Oto forces pouring through the breached wall.

"What the hell are we doing here?!" The girl yelled. Shikamaru ignored her as he prepared explosive tags onto several kunai. After he finished, he looked around frantically.

"What is wrong?!" Lee asked.

"I need a fire technique!" He suddenly spotted a peculiar green suit. "Gai!"

Lee's sensei turned towards him, finishing his opponent. Shikamaru motioned for him to come and Gai hurried over. "What is it, Shikamaru?!" He asked. Shikamaru motioned to a strangely colored stain on the ground.

"That's a chlorine chemical mixture, used for cleaning!" The lazy genius explained. "The explosion destroyed a warehouse housing the containers, and it spilled all over the place! On my command, I want you to use a fire technique to heat the spill and evaporate the chlorine!" Gai nodded in understanding, preparing for his part. Shikamaru turned towards the Hyuga girl. "You! What's your name?!"

"Tsuki!" Lee answered. "She is a friend of mine!" Tsuki nodded in confirmation.

"Tsuki, I want you to take these," Shikamaru handed her several round, spherical vials. "And fill them about three-quarters full of rainwater! After that, use a wind technique to create a vacuum in the vial! Understand?!" Tsuki nodded. Shikamaru turned towards Lee. "Lee, when Gai uses his technique, a dark green gas is going to rise from the spill. I want you to use Temari's fan to blow the gas at the Oto nin! Got it?!" Lee nodded determination and a hint of confusion written on his face. Despite the somewhat strange orders, they all did as they were told, while Shikamaru started scavenging the ground, looking for something. After a minute, he returned, putting something in his equipment pouch, then reaching up to his vest pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He took one out; stuck one in his mouth, and lit it.

"Since when did you smoke?" Gai asked. Shikamaru inhaled and exhaled before answering.

"Asuma got me in the habit." He replied. "It helps me concentrate sometimes…" Gai didn't prod farther into his business. Tsuki turned towards Shikamaru, holding an arm full of glass vials filled with rainwater.

"Shikamaru-san, I'm finished!" She said. Shikamaru grabbed the vials and, as carefully as he could with his bandaged hands, attached them to his belt. He then turned towards Gai and Lee.

"Ready?" Both nodded. "Good!" Shikamaru turned back towards the oncoming enemy. They were approaching the tree line of one of the nearby grassy areas. Shikamaru threw the kunai he had attached the explosive tags to at the tress next to the oncoming force. The explosion sent leaves and splinters everywhere, effectively creating a diversion. Shikamaru turned to Gai. "NOW!!"

Gai jumped forward, performing several hand seals before shouting, "_Katon: Ensho no Jutsu_!!" He took a deep breath before exhaling deeply; blowing forth a gust of air that was several hundred degrees centigrade. The heat caused the chemical mixture­­ to evaporate and an ominous, dark green cloud rose from the ground. Lee took that as his cue and used the tremendous fan to launch a powerful gust at the cloud, sending it billowing toward the oncoming Oto soldiers. The distracted shinobi were caught off guard and began to panic within the toxic gas.

Shikamaru, meanwhile, was busy with a small mixing bowl he had found. He had taken several containers out of his supply pouch and poured them inside the bowl and began mixing. Then he turned and emptied a small red container into the bowl and continued mixing. The end result was a black, jelly-like substance that smelled strongly of petroleum. The black-haired boy turned to his comrades and said, "All of you, tie a string to the neck of the vials and dip them in here! Make sure you make the coat thick!" His comrades stood in confusion before nodding and doing as he was told. "On my order, we're gonna toss these into that mob of Oto bastards!" He added, motioning to the group now surrounded by the green gas.

Lee was very confused. He couldn't make much sense of Shikamaru's orders, and decided to consult his teacher. Turning to Gai, he said, "Gai-sensei, I do not entirely get what exactly it is we are doing!" Gai turned to his pupil and smiled.

"You are witnessing genius at its peak of youthfulness!" He replied. "That gas over there is chlorine; highly toxic in its pure form, colorless and odorless! The chemical mixture it had resided in probably stained it that dark green color!" Lee nodded in understanding. "I'm not exactly sure what we are doing with these vials, though!"

Several minutes later, the chlorine as beginning to thin, and Shikamaru and the rest had finished. Picking several vials up by the string, he pulled out his lighter and managed to light it, despite the obstacle of bandaged hands. Holding the lighter up to the thickly-coated vials, the substance immediately caught fire, burning fiercely despite the wet conditions. Swinging the vials, he lobbed them one at a time towards the group of oncoming enemies.

The Oto soldiers saw the incoming projectiles, but ignored them, thinking them to just be a few pieces of incinerated shrapnel flying through the air. However, they were violently awakened from their ignorance when the vials shattered and boiling water burst out violently, scalding all in the near vicinity.

Gai's eyes widened in surprise. He certainly wasn't expecting that. As Shikamaru lobbed the last of the fiery vials at the Oto nin, he stopped and caught his breath. '_With my hands the way they are, that was a real pain in the ass…_'

"Now, what?" Tsuki asked. Shikamaru smirked.

"Now, you watch." He replied, walking forward towards the large group of scalded and _very_ pissed Oto soldiers. The black gel had been doused by the explosion from the water and was now seeping outwards, covering a large area of the ground. The Oto nin tried to wipe it off, but found it to have a substantial but not hindering adhesive quality. Shikamaru stopped at the edge of the ominous black pool. The Oto nin spotted him and charged. Shikamaru just stood there, the bored look on his face not faltering. He reached up and took one final puff from the cigarette before removing it from his mouth. He looked straight at the incoming mob and frowned, flicking the cigarette to the ground, straight at the large, sticky pool of his concoction. Realization crossed the faces of the Oto nin as the cigarette seemed to fall in slow motion. Shikamaru managed one last line before the cigarette hit the ground.

"You guys are a real pain in the ass."

BOOM!!

"That's our cue, boys!!" Came a yell. Jiraiya and his squad jumped from behind and engaged the surviving soldiers in the rear. Shikamaru smiled and turned around, walking back towards Lee and the others.

"Awesome, Shikamaru-san!" Lee congratulated, holding his fist up in a victorious gesture. Shikamaru just yawned in response.

"Yeah, but it was way too troublesome…" Was his lazy reply. Gai just smiled and shook his head.

'_He really is something else…_' He thought. Tsuki looked amazed.

"What did you do?" She asked. Shikamaru just sighed. He hated long explanations.

"Gai already explained to you the plan with the chlorine, however, that was also a diversion to give us enough time to prepare the vials." He said. "I had you fill up the vials with rainwater because the water is distilled, evaporation having diluted it. The vacuum was to keep the water unperturbed, because when distilled water is heated to the boiling point, one hundred degrees centigrade, it becomes extremely volatile. The pure form of the water keeps it from boiling, and all that energy is stored in the molecules, until the molecules are disturbed, releasing all the energy at once. The vacuum prevented that until the vials burst." Shikamaru then motioned to the discarded mixing bowl, some of the black mixture remaining. "That is an accelerant. A makeshift napalm, to be exact. I mixed together several substances that I found littered from the explosion containing coprecipitated aluminum salts of naphthenic and palmitic acids. The mixture makes a thickener that, when mixed with gasoline, makes a highly flammable gel. It's sticky and very difficult to douse, being fairly water resistant, hence the ability to burn in this rain. It's highly combustible nature is what caused it to explode and spread as it did when I threw my cigarette into the pool of the stuff." He continued. "Also, since the fire is burning all the wet wood from the trees I blew up earlier, it's also providing an ample smokescreen, allowing us to mount a counter attack, as you can currently see…"

The Konoha shinobi rushed the Oto nin while they were still recovering from the shock of the attack. The battle seemed like it was coming to a close. Shikamaru sighed.

"This whole thing is way too troublesome…" He said. "I really want to lay down and take a nap, maybe look at the clouds when it clears up…"

But, of course, fate is a cruel mistress.

"I'm afraid it's not over yet, Nara-san."

X-X-X-X-X

"Come on, Neji," Tenten whispered. "Let's go."

Neji nodded and allowed himself to be pulled along by his teammate. As Tenten led him along, his thoughts were with himself, and how utterly helpless he felt being blind. His greatest weapon was now unavailable. If he couldn't use the Byakugan, what good was he?

Tenten, however, was more preoccupied with trying to keep Neji and herself from drawing attention. Avoiding the enemy on a crowded battlefield was difficult, even if it was on the edge of the arena. Rushing away from the gate, she led Neji as accurately as she could through the debris. Suddenly, an Oto nin rushed her and kicked her across the face, effectively sending her to the ground.

All Neji heard was a high-pitched yelp and the feeling of Tenten's hand in his disappeared. He started to panic. '_I can't see the opponent! What am I supposed to do?!_' The Oto nin apparently noticed his handicap.

"Well, isn't this ironic? A blind Hyuga." He sneered. "Too ba--!" Next thing he knew, a kunai slashed through his throat. Neji panted heavily, feeling his heart beat wildly in his chest, kunai in hand. Just for a moment, he realized where the enemy was. His voice had given him away. Still, Neji was shaken. That was too close…

"Neji!" Came a voice to his left. He turned in the direction of the voice.

"To bad a pretty girl like you has to die!" Came a voice he didn't recognize. Jumping in the direction of the voice, he felt his foot come into contact with something very solid. His heart started beating wildly again. However, his opponent must've still been conscious, because he heard a voice right in front of him yell, "Bastard." On instinct, Neji leaned to the side as he felt a slight breeze brush his cheek. In his panic, he grabbed the arm in front of him and swung his fist madly in the direction of the voice. His fist hit something, resulting in a yelp from the victim, followed by a loud _thump!_ He panted more, still much shaken by the experience, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.

Tenten stood up, a little shaken as well. Somehow, Neji had managed to take out the two ninja, saving her and his self. She looked at him. He was panting heavily and he was shaking violently. She had never seen him so scared. Hell, she had never seen him scared, ever. She could only imagine how frightened he must be. "N-Neji?" She stuttered. Neji jumped at her voice, but turned towards her and swallowed.

"I-I'm fine." He said. Tenten wasn't convinced, but she decided not to press the issue. "Let's go…"

Tenten nodded and grabbed his hand, continuing to lead him towards the medical tents.

X-X-X-X-X

"Hanabi, wait!"

Konohamaru ran after the young Hyuga girl, trying to talk some sense into her.

"Your father said to stay out of the way!" He yelled. "What are you doing?!"

Hanabi stopped and turned to Naruto's would-be sibling. "What? You just wanna stand back and watch as our village gets attacked?" She asked, glaring at the young boy. Konohamaru hesitated before replying.

"No, but I promised your dad that I wouldn't let you do anything stupid!"

"Not helping out is stupid!"

"You'll get yourself killed!"

"And if the enemy wins, we'll die anyway!"

"Why do have to be so damn stubborn?!"

"Why do you care so damn much?!"

"Because, you idiot!" Konohamaru replied. "I don't want you to get hurt!" Hanabi looked surprised at that statement. With a serious look, Konohamaru continued, "We may not get along very well, but your still one of my friends, and I won't let my friends get hurt!"

Hanabi averted her gaze, looking sheepishly frustrated. "Whoever said I was your friend?" She asked quietly. Konohamaru was unfazed.

"I don't care if you're my friend or not, but I'm _your_ friend, whether you like it or not." He replied. "And I won't let my friends get hurt." He repeated. "Just like Naruto-nii-san."

Hanabi clenched her fists in frustration. "Now you're the one being stubborn!" She retorted. "You're such a hypocrite! You're the one who always wanted to sneak out of class, pull pranks and do a 'real' mission! Now you think you can tell me not to be rash?!" Now Konohamaru was the one who averted his gaze. She had a point.

"So?" He replied. "That doesn't matter. More than anything else, I made a promise. I promised I wouldn't let you get hurt, and I don't go back on my word." He looked at her, determination in his eyes. "Naruto-nii-san taught me that. I don't care if I have to hold you down; I won't let you run off and hurt yourself!"

Hanabi crossed her arms and closed her eyes in frustration. This guy could be so damn _stubborn_ sometimes…

"Fine, then, Konohamaru-_kun_," She said.

Konohamaru was taken aback.

"W-what?!"

Hanabi continued on, acting like what she said had no implication at all. "If you're gonna be my friend, then I'm gonna have to refer to you as such. And you'll have to call me 'Hanabi-chan.'"

"WHAT?!" Konohamaru yelled in shock, blushing. Hanabi gave him a confused look.

"What's wrong with you? That's how Naruto and Hinata-ne-chan refer to each other, and they're friends." She said innocently.

"B-but…" Konohamaru stuttered.

"No 'buts!'" Hanabi said imperatively. "Now, if you wanna keep your promise, Konohamaru-kun, you'd better follow me and keep me safe. My father won't be happy if he finds me injured." She finished, walking off. Konohamaru stared after her incredulously.

'_Sh-she tricked me!_' He thought, shocked. "W-wait, Hanabi!" He yelled, running after her.

"I told you, you have to call me 'Hanabi-chan!'"

"But, Hanabi--"

"'Hanabi-chan!'"

X-X-X-X-X

"IDIOTS!!"

As the yell rang out, Hidan threw his gigantic scythe forward, towards the approaching group of Konoha shinobi. Kakuzu followed by using a jutsu to summon several large boulders in the gap made by the scattering ninja, then jumped on top of the largest one.

"You fools don't get it, do you?!" He continued. "We're not here to waste our time with you!"

Hidan shouldered his scythe as it returned to him and picked up from there. "We're here for one reason. And it certainly isn't you pathetic asses."

Kakuzu turned and faced Naruto, pointing right at him. "We're here…

"…for the Kyubi!!"

Several shinobi present were shocked and confused at the statement, namely Kiba, Shino, Sai, and Hinata.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Kiba yelled. Akamaru barked in agreement. Kakuzu and Hidan smirked.

"Idiots…" Kakuzu mumbled.

"You mean, you don't know?" Hidan asked sarcastically. "You really are a bunch of dumbasses…"

"Get to the point." Shino said, hi usually stoic voice sounding uncharacteristically agitated. Kakuzu turned to him.

"Fine." He replied. "What we mean is, we're here for the blonde loudmouth over there." He said, pointing to Naruto. The aforementioned blonde was horrified.

"W-what are you talking about?" He inquired, trying to feign ignorance. Hidan turned to him.

"Don't play dumb, jackass!" He spat. "You know damn well what we mean!"

Kiba, Sai, Shino and Hinata all turned toward the blonde, awaiting an explanation.

"N-Naruto-kun…?" Hinata asked nervously. Naruto couldn't bear to look her in the eye, preferring to rather stare at the ground.

"Hinata-chan, I…"

"To put it simply, girl," Kakuzu directed at Hinata. "That boy is the Kyubi. Or, more accurately, the Kyubi is sealed inside him. Even then, he may as well be the demon itself…"

This revelation hit the four uninformed shinobi like a ton of bricks.

'_So that's the reason for the transformation and chakra on that mission three weeks ago…_' Sai thought to himself.

Kiba just stared at Naruto in disbelief and confusion. "What?"

Hinata dropped to her knees. The single tear Naruto saw fall from her face was all it took to make him snap. He fell to his knees and grabbed his head as the Kyubi's red chakra began to form around him again.

'_Now they know…_'

"**You're angry, aren't you?**"

'_Now they'll hate me…_'

"**It's their fault. They revealed your secret.**"

'_What do I do?_'

"**They hurt you. You should hurt them.**"

'_What should I do?_'

"**Punish them!**"

"Naruto!"

The blonde looked up, seeing Shino look in his direction. Did he still not hate him? Was he still his friend. "Sh-Shino?" He pleaded.

'_Naruto-kun…_'

"I'm going to be honest with you." He said monotonously. "I'm disappointed in you. You lied to us."

'_Why, Naruto-kun?_'

This devastated Naruto. "No… No!"

'_Do you not trust us?_'

"We're your friends. We wouldn't have cared if you had a demon inside you."

'_Do you…not trust me?_'

Naruto grabbed his head again and shouted, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" between sobs. Suddenly, he body went rigid as he yelled at the top of his lungs, Kyubi's red chakra flowing around him. This wasn't happening! How could this happen?! Why?! Why--!

Akatsuki.

This was all their fault.

They were responsible for all the pain.

All the lies.

Everything.

They had to pay.

"AHHH!!" Naruto yelled, preparing to rush straight for Kakuzu.

"Naruto-kun!"

Hinata jumped in the way and embraced the blonde. Naruto froze as his rage began to fade.

"Hinata-chan?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun…" She said, crying into his shoulder. "M-maybe if I had been a-a better friend, then y-you would have trusted m-me enough to tell me. Maybe you w-would have trusted me enough to share y-your pain with me…"

"Hinata-chan… Please… Don't blame yourself…" Naruto persisted, the Kyubi's chakra fading away.

"I-I just want you to know, Naruto-kun…

"I-I don't care how many demons you have sealed inside you…

"…I'll always be your friend."

At these words, Naruto tightly returned the embrace. "Thank you, Hinata-chan…

"…And, I'm sorry…"

"Sorry to interrupt this touching moment, but…"

Hidan launched his scythe once more, this time at Shino.

"However, despite the turn of events…" He began, meeting the flying scythe with a reinforced punch of his own, stopping the scythe dead in it's tracks. "Naruto is still our friend. A wise man once said, 'A friendship that can be ended didn't ever start.' Naruto has been my friend, and he still is. Nothing will change that. Therefore, I'm going to have to eliminate you for trying to hurt my friend."

Kakuzu appeared behind Hinata and aimed a punch at the two. Naruto reacted in a flash, wrapping his left arm protectively around Hinata and pulling her closer to him, and using his free right hand to catch the punch. He grabbed it without so much as a quiver. Kakuzu stared at him in surprise.

"You made Hinata-chan cry," Naruto said, glaring at Kakuzu with an incomprehensible amount of hate. "What you do to me, it's your business, but when you hurt Hinata-chan, it's _my_ business." With that, he tossed Kakuzu aside and straight into a tree. Picking himself up, he smirked underneath his mask.

"Looks like I may have underestimated you pathetic romantics…" He said.

"Indeed." Yamato said, standing in front of Kakuzu with Kurenai and Sai on either side of him.

"Out of the way." The Akatsuki member growled. "I want the Kyubi."

"There is no Kyubi here." Yamato replied. "However, if you're talking about Naruto, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline that request."

"You hurt a comrade," Kurenai said menacingly. "I will not tolerate such infractions."

Sai nodded. "I used to be like you, once. Because of that, I know you can't possibly understand what friendship is." He closed his eyes. "But either way, I don't care. You will die here."

X-X-X-X-X

"Brother."

Itachi and Sasuke stood opposite each other, leering at the other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Sasuke snorted in disgust. "You have no right…" He disappeared. Reappearing in front of the Akatsuki, he threw a punch. "…TO CALL ME YOUR BROTHER!!" Itachi dodged the blow with amazing speed and continued to stare at the younger Uchiha.

"Temper, Sasuke." He said mockingly. "Don't deny what can't be undone. You have a brother, and you are a brother, and that will not change." Sasuke snorted again.

"The time for talk is over, Itachi." He said, glaring at him with unparalleled hate. "We end this. Now."

X-X-X-X-X

Iruka ran across the battlefield, engaged in combat as he and other Chunin fought to protect the medical tents from enemy forces. Gaara's sand was very adept to the job, but it could only do so much. Iruka's only objective right now was to make up for the difference in the equation. Throwing kunais and punches alike, he felled one enemy after another, completely focused on the task at hand.

Panting, he continued his onslaught. '_Gotta make sure the injured are safe!_' He thought to himself as a new squad emerged from the fog of war. '_Great. More…_'

He made his way towards the opposition when he spotted their intended target, and his heart stopped. Shizune and several other medical personnel were carrying wounded on stretchers, heading towards the relative safety of the tents, but hadn't noticed their followers. At that speed, they weren't going to make it!

'_Damnit!_' Iruka swore in his head, speeding as fast as he could to the defense of the entourage. However, he knew he might me too late. Increasing his speed, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "SHIZUNE! WATCH OUT!!"

The medical kunoichi turned around at the sound of his voice and was met with the sneering masked face of the Oto nin. As fear crawled onto her features, Iruka appeared behind the leading soldier and brought his fist down with gigantic force, smashing his head to the ground and knocking him out cold. The three behind him made to advance, but exploded as the explosion tags that had been planted on them expired. Iruka panted as he turned around and engaged the remaining enemies.

Shizune stood in shock for a moment. It had all happened so fast. She thought she was about to die, and Iruka popped out of nowhere and saved her. But what shook her most was Iruka's expression. He had looked utterly outraged. She had never seen him so angry, and as she continued to observe him, she could tell he was pissed as he continued to tear apart the enemies. She had never seen him so aggressive, so…bloodthirsty. She didn't like what she saw. And as Iruka moved from one enemy from the next, she also noticed his increasingly sluggish movements. He was tiring, and fast. As Iruka finished off another threat, he heard Shizune's voice.

"Stop it!" She yelled in concern. "Take a break, or you'll get yourself killed!"

"I-I…_huff_…I'm…fine…" He insisted, grasping his side as a cramp to presence in his chest. "…J-just…_hah…_hurry and…get away…"

Shizune rushed to his side as he began to stumble. Catching him by his shoulders, she glared at him. "Y-you idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Iruka just tried to march forward, out of her grasp, but failed.

"…As…As long as…the village…" He gasped. "…and the students…the kids…

"a-and…you…as long as you're safe…" He grinned, still trying to march forward. "…then I don't care…w-what happens to me…"

Shizune just stared at him in disbelief as tears welled in her eyes. Swinging him around so that he was facing her, she grabbed his collar and yelled, "And do you really think I'd be alright if you ended up dead?! Do you think I'd be happy?!" Her voice cracked as the tears began to fall. "Men and all their bullcrap about bravery and chivalry! If you really wanted to prove your courage and strength, if you really wanted to show that you cared, then instead of dying for me, why don't you try _living_ for me?! You can't do much if you're _dead_!!"

Iruka just lowered his eyes as his bloody and beaten face wore a deeply apologetic look. Shizune shoved him away as she towards the tents. "Shizune…" He muttered before another Oto nin showed up, intent on taking the kunoichi out. Iruka, seeing this, ran to stop him, but wasn't fast enough. The Oto nin threw several large shuriken at Shizune's retreating figure, and Iruka, having no other alternative, threw himself in front of her, pushing her out of the way as the shuriken embedded themselves in his back. Grunting loudly in pain, he fell to the ground, reaching behind him to pull the weapons out of his backside. Quickly discarding them, he stood back up and countered the oncoming blow from the enemy with a kunai. The opponent jumped back, leering at the wounded Chunin.

"You're still alive? I guess I have to give you Konoha shinobi some credit…" He said. Iruka just growled.

"Go…away…" He said menacingly. The Oto nin just snickered.

"You really think that will make me leave? Your pathetic."

Iruka smirked. Fine, if he wanted to do it the hard way… "Your choice…" Making several hand seals, he shouted, "_Ninpo: Kumonoso no Jutsu_!!" A gust of wind billowed from Iruka, and the dirt in the area shot up in thin strands, as if many long, thin strands of something were rising from the ground. After several moments, the effects subsided. The Oto nin looked confused.

"Is that it? Just a flashy show? Some jutsu!" He shouted, moving forward. "I'll--!!" He suddenly stopped spotting a drop of water hanging seemingly in midair, but upon closer inspection, he saw it was hanging from a trip wire. However, that wasn't the problem. As he saw that string, he saw that there were literally hundreds of trip wires everywhere, crossing paths, forming a lethal web of traps. "What the…"

"I wouldn't move if I were you." Iruka said. "Each if these trip wires are set to a trap. Setting one off could mean tripping the others."

The Oto nin looked at him incredulously. "Fool! You've gotten yourself trapped, too!" Iruka just smirked.

"True. And when one of us sets off these traps," He lifted his hand up to the wire nearest his face. "We'll both probably die." The Oto Jonin and Shizune's eyes both widened in fear as they realized exactly what his plan was.

"I-Iruka--!"

"I was saving this as a last resort." Iruka continued, ignoring Shizune's plight. "I'm too tired to match a Jonin. I have no other alternative. To protect my village, my friends, I'm prepared to make this sacrifice."

The enemy just yelled in contradiction. "No, you idiot--!"

"Iruka!!"

"Shizune," Iruka called to the horrified nurse. "Do me a favor."

Shizune shook her head violently, sobbing. "You idiot! Were you even listening to what I said earlier?!"

"Look after the Academy…"

"Iruka!"

"Take care of Naruto…"

"S-stop!!"

"…and tell him…I'm sorry…"

"IRUKA!!"

BOOM!!

X-X-X-X-X

"W-what was that?!"

Hanabi stopped and looked around frantically. There was a loud explosion, and it had sounded a little to close. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah," Konohamaru replied. "We must be close…"

"Let's keep going, then, Konohamaru-kun!" Hanabi said, running in the direction of the explosion.

"H-Hanabi, wait!" He yelled after her with a fearful look on hid face. "Why are you running in the direction of the explosion?!"

"How many times do I have to tell you?" She yelled back. "It's 'Hanabi-chan!'"

"You idiot, will you listen to me?!"

"Will you address me properly?!"

"This isn't the time, Hanabi!"

"'Hanabi-chan!'"

"WHATEVER!!"

"We're going this way to make sure everyone's alright!" She finally answered. Konohamaru looked ahead.

"Then why didn't you just say so?!"

"Because you're being stubborn and annoying."

"_I'm_ the one who's being stubborn?"

"Yes." She replied nonchalantly. Konohamaru sighed, frustrated.

'_And she called _me_ a hypocrite!_'

X-X-X-X-X

Kakashi stared in awe as thoughts raced through his mind. There was no way… No possible way…

'_It can't be…_' He thought. '_The last known person to wield those kinds of powers was Nidaime…_'

Yet, as he continued to stare at the blonde with his Sharingan, there was no mistaking it.

'_Naruto… To think, he was capable of this kind of power…_'

Kyubi was thinking along the same lines as Kakashi.

'**_The kid's pretty impressive. To resist my influence, and then proceed to awaken _that_ power…_**' He closed his eyes. '**_The Hyuga girl probably had some influence, as well… Feh, humans and their emotions…_**'

Hiashi had activated his dojutsu as well, and was observing the blonde alongside Kakashi. '_I was correct. The Uzumaki boy is much more that I previously thought. Very impressive…_'

Hinata also stared in awe as the blonde held her close, feeling the raw power flow from him, and as she stared into his eyes, she noticed the color change slowly. Not to red, but…

"Naruto-kun…" She whispered in amazement and wonder as his eyes finally came to a stop at a bright, emerald green.

'_There's no mistaking it!_' Kakashi concluded frantically. "C-could… Could it be?

"Could this be…the 'Awakening?'?"

* * *

A/N - Another cliffy!

(dodges various thrown projectiles)

I'm sorry! (kneels and grovels) I really didn't mean for this to happen! B-But…holidays, and presents and new games and…new games! I was just too distracted!

That, and I also was waiting for the current manga arc to progress so I could be more informed about Hidan and Kakuzu's personalities and abilities and weaknesses. So, I do have a somewhat viable reason… (sweats)

But, enough excuses. I'm _really _sorry for my tardiness. I really didn't mean for this to happen! It just…did. I deeply apologize.

But enough apologies!

Anyway, as you can see, I really laid out the drama in this one. _Heavily_. Hehe, I didn't mean for that to happen, but when you're a hopeless romantic like me, you just can't help it. I apologize if, perhaps, all the drama was a little _too_ much, but, hey, this _is_ a war, here.

Anyway, again, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, and promise to do my best in posting future chapters in a more timely fashion.

As retribution, I have posted a new story, called _Fairytale_, which will be a side-project next to this. It's not as action-oriented or as epic as this story, but it's full of drama and romance and NaruHina goodness. So, if you like this story, go check it out!

Later! (but not as late as this chapter)


End file.
